NaNoWriMo 2022

Note: If you’re curious on getting started in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), please check out my previous post “NaNoWriMo 2021: My Experience and Ideas” where I write about my years-long struggle to reach 50,000 words a month and what helped me get there. That post is helpful, this post is mostly me rambling about my goals for next year because I respond wonderfully to public accountability.

Below is a lengthy vibe check for NaNoWriMo 2022:

This year was a mixed bag. I had an amazing time writing and I did “win” NaNoWriMo by reaching my goal of 50,000 words, but it wasn’t the most stylish 50,000 words I’ve ever written by a long shot. I planned way less than normal for this story, with very little outlining completed ahead of time. Because I didn’t have a great outline, I wasted a lot of time and words wandering down rabbitholes and pausing over the keyboard searching for inspiration.

I also did not use October as a warmup month aiming for a smaller goal like 20,000 words. In October I wrote maybe 1,000 words, then in November I wrote 50,000, and the acceleration was tough. Overall, the writing was less flying and more mucking about in a swamp.

That being said, November 2022’s NaNo had a lot of positives. Below are some cool firsts that I’m really proud of:

1. Joining the writer’s mile high club (writing at least 5,280 words in 6 hours) for the first time! I wrote over 5,800 words in less than 4 hours on November 12th, definitely the most words I’ve ever written in a 4-hour timespan. Being in the zone like that was incredible and I felt completely rejuvenated afterwards.
2. Writing while on a work trip for the first time. This commitment involved lugging my dinosaur writing laptop all over NYC but I did it. I didn’t hit par at all while travelling, but I wrote four thousand words crammed into airplanes and hotel lobbies that I otherwise would not have written.
3. Writing thousands of words in a car for the first time. And on planes and lots of other random places. This month was busy and I fit in writing anywhere I could!

The story I started this NaNo (GATES TWO) is far from finished, so I’ll continue to draft it while I turn the majority of my writing energy towards revising HOOD.

Below are three of the strategies I’ll try next year:

1. Finish my outline, scene structures, and personality pages for new characters by the end of September at the latest, then commit to writing 20,000 words in October to get warmed up for November.
2. Bring my writing laptop on any work trips and aim for 1,000 words per morning while travelling.
3. Implement rewards again. I didn’t set up many rewards for reaching wordcount milestones this year and I missed them.

The coolest part was realizing that maybe one day I could be one of the high achievers who aims for 100,000 words during NaNoWriMo. If I can write over 5,000 words in 4 hours, then technically I should be able to achieve 100,000 words in a month. Future goals!

Thank you for reading. Thank you to everyone who sent me encouragement, asked about my writing, or wrote with me this month. I’m grateful for you!