Thoughts on Writing, NaNoWriMo Participation (#3769008)

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Kiya is a young woman with many interests. She's got a degree in Computer Science and Registered Nursing.

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Nov 11, 2025 at 1:32pm

#3769008

Thoughts on Writing, NaNoWriMo Participation

by SantaBee

Good morning all - just wanted to talk a bit about writing and NaNoWriMo a bit.

Unfortunately, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is no more. Honestly, I didn't follow the demise, and I really can't speak to why or how it went away unless I do some research, BUT... what I appreciated about the opportunity to participate is how motivating it was.

2009 was my first NaNoWriMo month. I had a daily goal - 1667 words per day to achieve the 50K word count at the end of the month. While challenging at the time, looking back 2009, was probably my easiest NaNoWriMo in that the boys were younger and I had more time to dedicate to the writing.

My project that year was "Then Hungarian" which was published with a small press, but unfortunately, they went out of business in 2018. The rights have reverted back to me and it's just a matter of time before I'm able to get it back up on Amazon as a self-publisher.

Self-publishing can be a challenge because I don't want to put a 1/2 baked effort up for people to buy. I want a polished and professional project up. Right now, I'm working on a previously published short story, "Gifts," editing it, and growing it, fleshing out the characters more. It's been an effort and I've been working on it for 2 years.

Back to NaNoWriMo - it's all about writing - getting words on paper. December you can edit. Just get the shell of the story out there. I remember I'd meet up with a writing friend at a coffee shop and we'd be plugging away. (Andy was in elementary and Joey was in pre-school for a couple of hours in the morning).

When I hit my goal of 50K words the website sent me a certificate and a graphic to declare my success. While NaNoWriMo will be missed, I know there's several on Writing.com meeting the challenge. 50K words in a month.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on NaNoWriMo - did you ever particpate? Want to but couldn't? Have a success project?

A winning NaNoWriMo graphic from 2009