Hello everyone!
It’s the month for novel writing, and at the IWSG we are discussing just that. The Insecure Writer’s Support Group posts on the first Wednesday of every month, where group members share about their writing journey. Please visit the website to know more and to join us.
The awesome co-hosts for the November 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Jean Davis, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diedre Knight!
Thanks to Alex for running this amazing group!
November 1 question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?
I think I may have answered this question before. Yes, I had participated in 2021. It was great; it was fun. I finished a first draft and haven’t looked back at it since then. In January 2023, our small writing group did a JaNoWriMo because we missed out on NaNo 2022, and I got another first draft done. But again, I haven’t got back to it.
This time I decided to skip the thirty-day writing challenge completely. There are many reasons for it.
One, I do not feel up to doing challenges anymore. I realized they are not my thing. Though I agree, they are probably the best way to get things done, but I’d rather go at my own pace. I don’t want to stress about writing. I want to enjoy it. In a writing group that I’m a part of, a member recently shared his small accomplishment of turning in a manuscript after several months, moving at a modest pace of 350 words per day. Yes, 350! Sometimes you need to set your own goals rather than follow the crowd because not everything works for everyone. Not that being part of a crowd isn’t right, but it’s tiring for me. So, I’ve chosen to stay out and do my own thing- slowly, with spaced out writing, but the kind I like to do.
Secondly, I want to finish what I’ve started and take out time to revisit my previous drafts and collate some of my old pieces. Let’s see how far this goes.
Finally, I think that at different stages of your life you want different things and you want to do things differently. I’ve tried going the NaNo way, now it’s time to try something else.
How about you? Do you prefer the adrenaline rush with NaNo or do you like to move at your own pace? Let me know in the comments section below.
In other news, I submitted two poems to the Commonwealth Poetry Submission Call. I enjoyed writing for it. Fingers crossed!
Also, we have the October WEP winners. Please visit the website to know more. It’s been a wonderful mix of entries that you will enjoy reading.
Until next time, best wishes to all who are writing in November.
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A Hundred Quills 
I’ve never done it myself, it’s such a big commitment, and I second all your reasons as to why. But perhaps I should next year.
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I don’t do NaNo anymore. I hope you enjoy it.
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I’ve done NaNo, and it was great while I did it. The problem was that I was getting burnt out and wouldn’t write for months afterward… So I stopped.
I don’t know if I’ll ever go back, but I learned a lot about my writing style, which in the long run made me a better writer overall. 🙂
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You are right, we should have our own goals
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I agree with all those reasons and have to say I feel the same way! I don’t like the pressure put on writers to join in on these sorts of challenges either.
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Your ‘finally’ is why I’m not doing it anymore. My life has changed. And no, it’s not for everyone.
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Agreed! No one method is for everyone – and our methods change over time as we learn more and try new things. My bouncy brain loves NaNo 🙂
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“I’d rather go at my own pace…” – yes! That is what I think about NaNoWriMo too. I’ve never participated and I don’t think I ever will.
Olga Godim from https://olgagodim.wordpress.com/
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I do a bit of both. I enjoy the frenzy of NaNoWriMo and knowing that many other writers are doing the same. But I don’t strive for NaNo’s 50k word count goal. I set my own manageable goal and go my own pace of a smaller word count per day goal. I also work on more than one writing project which makes a NaNo rebel.
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Nano isn’t for everyone. As long as you’re making progress on a project you like, do whatever works best for you. Hopefully someday you’ll get back to those earlier nano projects and fall in love with them again.
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You gave it try, Sonia. That’s more than I’ve done. Congrats on that.
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I guess I should have signed my name to that Anonymous comment. Your blog won’t let me in as C. Lee McKenzie. I’m starting to think there’s a conspiracy against me. 🙂
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Hi Lee. I almost know by now that it’s you. Thank you for stopping by.
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I so agree with what you said about us having to do what works for us. Your friend who finished a manuscript at 350 words a day gives me hope. I finished a rough draft by writing for an hour while I ate lunch.
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Yes Natalie, as I see it now, slow and steady is a better option for me.
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I once did a post where the ghosts of Hemingway, Twain, Fitzgerald, and Zelazny discussed NaNoWriMo https://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/2017/11/iwsg-postwhat-do-dead-think-of-nanowrimo.html
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That must have been very interesting.
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Thank you. It was a good read.
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Good luck with your submissions, Sonia! NaNoWriMo has never appealed to me. Being under that kind of pressure would suck all the enjoyment out of writing–aside from the fact that it doesn’t align with my own writing process, which works for me.
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Thank you, Liz! I enjoyed it when I did. No more!
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You’re welcome, Sonia!
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