As you can probably tell by all the posts on NaNoWriMo I’ve written so far this month (there mayyyyy have been a few of those), I really, really love NaNoWriMo. November is the highlight of my writing year simply because it is the month that contains the awesomeness that is NaNoWriMo. I’ve participated every year since I first discovered it back in 2011. I start preparing for it at least a month in advance. So I obviously love NaNoWriMo rather a lot, and it’s for a variety of reasons.
A big part of why I love NaNo so much is because it gives me the chance to dedicate an entire month to improving my craft, and to doing it in the company of other people. I do write all year round, so every month is filled with writing for me, but not every month is a global event dedicated to writing, books, and words. And November is the only month where so many other people around the world are dedicating so much time to writing. It’s one thing to write by yourself, and quite another to do it alongside hundreds of thousands of other dedicated writers from around the globe.
And that’s another huge part of why I love NaNoWriMo so much. The community around it is AMAZING. I love having the opportunity to hang out with other Wrimos, discussing word counts, sharing snippets, and spurring each other on to write more. The writing community in general is awesome throughout the rest of the year as well, but in November, it’s like it gets supercharged. Everyone is writing, and everyone is cheering each other on, and it’s just the most awe inspiring, motivating thing ever.
Then there’s the fact that November is the month I dedicate to writing something new. Camp NaNos are split between writing, editing, rewriting, and the like. But for NaNoWriMo, I always write something new. I love the feeling of diving into a brand new story, and the knowledge that this is a month in which I don’t have to feel like I should be doing something else for one of my other projects. November is the month I dedicate to new creations, to playing around in sparkling fresh manuscripts, and that is just the best feeling.
NaNoWriMo energises me as a writer, even though it’s a month long marathon. It reminds me of the joy of writing, which sometimes I lose in the middle of the frustrations of trying editing. It shows me that I’m not alone , but that there are literally thousands of other writers out there who love books and characters and writing just as much as I do. And it makes me feel more like a writer than ever. And, at the end of it all, I have a new book in my hands, something that might be rough and messy, but with potential, something I can edit and polish and love, and, hopefully, share with other people one day. And this is why I love NaNoWriMo so much, and what keeps me coming back every year.
What do you love about NaNoWriMo? What is the highlight of your writing year? What is your favourite thing about being a writer?
