How many years have you been participating in NaNoWriMo?
Ten years, a full decade. My first year was 2014!
What inspired you to start?
There were some old-school Youtubers who participated in NaNoWriMo that I used to watch. I was a huge All Caps fan, so when they came out with their NaNoWriMo song, I listened to it a lot. Finally, in my senior year of high school, I decided to go for it because I wrote all the time. Quantifying how much I could write seemed like a fun challenge. Once I got the sweet, sweet thrill of victory, I just didn't stop.
What inspires you to keep going every year?
I like having a month dedicated to working on my manuscripts. It's the one time of year that I really focus on my writing with no excuses to be working on something else, unless there are real life deadlines that get in the way like last year. It's funny because when I mention it to people, they're really impressed that I manage to do 50,000 words in a month, but it's so routine that it feels like nothing. I'm sure it's the same as someone who runs 5Ks all the time.
How do you prepare?
Poorly. My first year was a "pantser" year, as the NaNoWriMo folks call it, which means I did zero prep. I had an idea for some characters and a vague plot, but not much else. It was a really tough one, especially while focusing on my last year of high school, but I managed to get the manuscript done and that's all that really matters.
My major projects have actually been on a novel I've been writing since I was in middle school, so I know that story better than my own social security number, mother's maiden name, and my birthday most days. As a result, re-writing it is easy, since I know what happens, but it becomes challenging to up my craft with each draft. The only thing I do to prepare is sign up on the website and announce my projects. I don't recommend this strategy for people who are starting because it is the most stressful style.
What do you do with your finished manuscripts?
My first one will never see the light of day. I had another manuscript that I wrote that I do really enjoy, but it has to have major edits, too. I don't know if it will get published, but I think it's good enough to warrant a second look at.
My main project that I've been writing for 16 years is finally at a point where it's time it sees the light of day, so I'm working on what I'm pretty sure is my final draft and I'm looking into self-publishing!
What's the best part of the experience?
Besides the thrill of declining invitations to be social and major bragging rights at the end, I love the dedicated time to just write. It's a lot to put on top of work and school, but I love going back into a story and just living there for a while. I also love watching the graph move day to day as I enter my words in. The NaNoWriMo website has a great dashboard with pretty interesting insights into my writing habits.
What's the most challenging part?
That's a hard one to answer. I feel like every year there's a new challenge depending on where my life has taken me, especially since I started so young. When I first started, my biggest challenge was actually doing the writing and figuring out where the story would take me. Now, the biggest challenge is balancing a full-time job, school part-time, and finding time to write during what ends up being finals.
What advice do you have for other writers who may want to take the plunge?
Remember that the month is all about writing 50,000 words and literally nothing else. It doesn't have to be good writing, but it just has to get out of your head and into whatever writing software you choose. I cannot stress enough how awful my first manuscript is, but it's still 50,000 words of an original story I never would have written otherwise. Especially if you're working on a first draft, remember that your first draft is supposed to be the worst your story will ever look, which is why second drafts and rewrites exist.
Ruari Blake is a writer, content creator, and PhD program reject. She writes fantasy novels and science fiction short stories, some of which are available to read online, but others will never see the light of day. When not writing, she is in class at Northwestern University in their MS in Learning and Organizational Change program or taking philosophy courses by any means possible. www.youtube.com/@BadAstra
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