Today marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo for me. While it’s National Novel Writing Month, I’m not actually writing a novel. Instead, I’m challenging myself to produce 50,000 words for my blogs and freelance work. I’ve been a bit lazy this past October, recovering from FinCon and lots of travel, but those are just excuses to avoid getting started.
Writing feels a lot like working out. I went for a run this morning after a few days of doing nothing. It was tough; my lungs were screaming for a break, but I pushed through and finished with a smile and a great endorphin rush. It made me wonder why I hadn’t run in five days. Just like running, the more I write, the more I want to write.
Some pieces take an emotional toll because you put so much of yourself into them. But there’s always room for more writing. I estimate I wrote about 10,000 words in October, whereas I typically hit around 20,000. So, NaNoWriMo means I’m aiming to write five times more than last month.
I’m planning to kick things off with a strong start so I can afford some downtime later. I’m heading to Texas next week and then traveling to Europe in December, spending at least 19 days away from home this month—maybe even up to 24 days if I don’t come back in between trips. Traveling disrupts my routines—whether it’s eating, exercising, or writing, everything gets affected. Therefore, I need to create a buffer before I leave next Tuesday. (Quick word count check: 287. Wow, that’s not as many as I’d hoped. Still have 49,713 to go.)
So why take on such a demanding project?
First, accountability. I live in a remote area, and there’s no one to motivate me if I slack off. By publicly committing to this writing challenge, I’m holding myself accountable. Failure would hurt more than the discomfort my fingers might feel by the end of the month.
Second, pride. I love the sense of achievement that comes from completing a task. Whether it’s after a run or wrapping up a project, finishing feels great. But I often stop at 90% and call it “good enough,” which doesn’t give me the same satisfaction as fully completing something.
It’s not actually that hard. Big goals become manageable when broken into smaller parts. Want to save a million dollars? That’s $500 a month for the next 35 years at an 8% return—just $20 a day. Similarly, NaNoWriMo breaks down to 1,667 words a day. For me, that’s only a couple of posts. I’d rather write 3-5 posts a day at the start to give myself some breathing room for travel and the fun I have planned this month. And don’t get me started on jet lag—it’s brutal.
Getting back on track. October was a slow month for writing because I didn’t feel motivated, and since I don’t need the income, I let it slide. But I do enjoy feeling productive, and if I’m too easy on myself, I won’t get back into the groove. Writing a few thousand words each day seems like the perfect remedy.
Improving skills. The best way to get better at anything—be it writing, running, or painting—is through practice. I sometimes cringe reading my old posts, and I’ll probably feel the same about this one in the future. That’s a good sign of growth. My English, typing speed, and spell check skills have all improved, and a month of intense writing will only enhance them further.
I’m kind of getting a head start with this post and probably with follow-up posts throughout the month. I’ll keep it brief for now, but feel free to reach out if you’re thinking about starting NaNoWriMo too and need an accountability buddy!
So far, 695 words down, 49,305 to go.