November is National Novel Writing Month.
For a while, there was an official group called NaNoWriMo* that hosted an online space for folks to find community while they challenged themselves to write 50K words during the month of November.**
The whole concept was that people often say, “Someday, I’m going to write a novel.” NaNo’s response was, “Why not now?”
It was a challenge to set aside time to write what amounted to 1667 words every day for a single month. At the end of that month, you have 50,000 words, which is the minimum word count for a novel in the publishing industry. It wasn’t about having a polished bit of prose, but getting down the raw material that you could shape and edit later. Writing down the bones and getting a little flesh on them. If you have a 50K rough draft, then you’ve got something to work with and develop through the next year until it’s ready to submit or publish.
Now, not everyone works well to this kind of challenge. I never once “won” NaNo, but I still liked the energy of hanging around people who were focused on getting words down every day with a goal. It’s exciting!
NaNo no longer exists (see footnote), but there are still small groups out there that are keeping that energy going. If you’re interested, check out your local library or bookstore to see if anyone is hosting meet-ups. Or DIY it by setting appointments for yourself. Take your laptop to the library or your favorite coffee shop once or twice a week for the purpose of focusing on your writing. It can help to get away from the house so that the normal day-to-day clamor of laundry and dinner and childcare doesn’t distract you from your goal.
When my kids were small and I was a SAHM, I let my husband know that I needed two hours to myself on Sunday mornings with no interruptions unless 1) the house was on fire, or 2) there was arterial spray.
Everything else, he could handle.
This November, I’m not setting a word count goal, but I am challenging myself to write at least 5 days a week. Whether it’s 50 words or 500, I’m slowly healing my burnout.
The real challenge is to Just Keep Writing.
*NaNoWriMo was a non-profit organization that lasted for over 20 years, finally closing in early 2025 due to financial difficulties, but the community faltered after issues with inconsistent moderation which led to allegations of bullying and grooming. In 2024, they embraced the use of AI without limits and many authors took exception. You can find a short summation on The Guardian.
**I contend that this was started by a Canadian who celebrated Thanksgiving in October, because trying to do this while cooking a feast and hosting family at the end of November is the route to madness.
Loom Blossom 