NaNoWriMo – Follow your passion

If you are in any kind of author circles, even on the edge of one, there is no doubt that you know what time of year it is. Many people are designing costumes and decorating their homes for Halloween. They’re preparing what films they’ll watch and how much chocolate they’ll eat.

But for a certain few, there is no Halloween. There is no turkey prep. There may be chocolate, but that chocolate is fuel…
For National Novel Writing Month, the November challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days.

Deciding whether or not to participate in this challenge is the first big step, but a second question hovers just behind: If I do decide to write, what the heck am I going to work on?

With a few weeks to go, now is a good time to figure that out.

I, for one, am in just such a struggle. I recently released the first book in a planned trilogy. The second is drafted and about to start the revision process so the obvious choice would be to use NaNoWriMo to write the third, right? No?

The problem is this bright new shiny book hovering in the corner of my eye. An urban fantasy that is sexy and devious and full of such good fun. So there’s the dilemma: the logical next step or the fun detour? The one readers will be waiting for or the one that has hooked its claws in my brain and won’t let go?

The rest of the year, I’m able to avoid being distracted by said bright shiny detour by sticking to my schedule. I use websites like Trello and a hand-written agenda like my bullet journal to keep me on track to make sure each book actually reaches the end. November is different. It’s a time when you can allow yourself to play a little more.

Maybe you’re simply stuck between Idea A that you’ve been outlining since May and are finally ready to start writing vs. Idea B that only jumped into your head last month and is barely more than a glimpse at a set of characters—but those characters have really taken on a life of their own.

Or maybe you have a book that you need to write, but you’re playing with the idea of moving into the shadows and pantsing something entirely new just to see what comes of it.

The nightmare of lots of NaNoWriMo participants is that they’re going to get partway through the month and get bored, or get lost, and therefore not be able to keep going.

This will be my 6th NaNoWriMo (plus a few CampNaNoWriMos in between [CampNaNoWriMo if you haven’t heard of it, takes place in April and July. You choose your own word count goal and get assigned to a cabin—or build one with your writing mates. It’s low-key, very relaxed, and a great chance to finish/catch up on/revise your work in progress]), and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of these challenges: if you want to see them through to the end, you have to write what excites you.

The other eleven months of the year are there for you to work on what you need to write, but NaNoWriMo is all about the sheer rush of sitting down to write words on the paper. It’s challenging, it’s fun, it can be competitive if you want it to, and it’s an opportunity to lose yourself in the sheer joy of creating. For me, after fourteen publications, I find it important to use NaNoWriMo to remember what I love about writing. For me, it’s the sense of adventure and escape, of not knowing what’s around the corner when you start on that first draft, whether you’ve outlined or not. Stuck on this point? Try taking a break and running the story through your head like a film. Remember what scenes or characters made you sit down in the first place.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t outline, and, heck, if what you need to write is what gets you out of bed in the morning then huzzah! Easy choice! But no matter what process you choose, or what project, let it be something that gets you talking about it. Let it be a book that, when your friends ask you how you’re spending your month, you can’t shut up, until they’re just as excited as you are (and likely beyond that when they’ve gone all glazed-eyed, and you’re still describing your world’s social structure).

Choose the project you want. This month is all about you, your characters, your ideas. Have fun with it.

So… with all that in mind, I think I’ve made my choice.

See you on November 1, urban fantasy.
 
Krista Walsh
www.kristawalshauthor.com
https://www.facebook.com/kristawalshauthor/ 
Like many authors, Krista Walsh has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen. At eight years old, she wrote three one-page ghost stories that she still feels are her best work. From plays and short stories through to fanfiction and novels, stories have always buzzed around in her head. After her first publication in April 2012, a short story in a dark fantasy anthology, Krista made her way through various collaborations and anthologies until she founded the self-publishing brand of Raven’s Quill Press.