We made it. NaNoWriMo 2017 is in the books!
How do you feel? Joyous? Drained? Hungry? Same.
I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time this year, and it was so much more than I expected in every way. When I finished writing last night, I anticipated feeling some sort of profound sense of completion. Instead, I simply felt ready to keep writing.
Maybe that's the point of NaNoWriMo at the end of the day. Sure, it's about finishing a novel in a month , but I think it's more about what comes after - how you decide to continue writing in the spirit of what you learned during November.
I don't know about you, but I struggled throughout the 2nd and 3rd weeks. My initial enthusiasm and dedication to quality went out the window when I realized I had completely forgotten to re-outline my 2nd act. Suddenly, a dedicated planner (me) had been dropped into her worst nightmare - having to finish a novel as a pantser. I almost gave up then and there. I wasn't happy with the direction my story was going, so why should I waste another 15 days writing something that was worthless?
For whatever reason, I pressed on. I didn't want to step outside the bubble of writing and friendship November had given me. I also wasn't sure if I'd start writing again given the discouragement I felt.
When I finished my story last night, I realized I'd gained something far greater than a novel: I'd re-gained my fearlessness in my writing. I'd shed the tired of habits and rules I'd given myself for how I should write, when I should write, what I should write. Instead, I simply wrote. I let the words come out, even when they weren't good.
Writing requires a kind of freedom; NaNoWriMo awoke mine.
Even if you didn't win NaNoWriMo (which, by the way, if you're writing you've already won), I hope you found a similar sliver of hope through the process - something that will feed your writing in the days to come. Because, after all, that's why we do NaNoWriMo; not to just write during November, but to write every month.
Now that it's over, you may be asking yourself the looming question: What's next?
Maybe it's finishing the rest of your story.
Maybe it's plotting a new story.
Maybe it's picking up a good book and drinking a cup of tea - you've earned it.
Whatever it is, I encourage you to use the habits, the friends, and the resilience NaNoWriMo gifted you this past month to continue on with your writing. Take the good, leave the bad, and press on. If you get stuck or just want someone in the process with you, we're always here for you.
Happy December and happy writing.
-Katherine Oostman, Co-Founder of They Create
