I'm participating in #NaNoWriMo 2019

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be participating in #NaNoWriMo2019 this year! For those of you who are unfamiliar, that stands for National Novel Writing Month. NaNo is in its 20th year, and it’s a challenge where writers are tasked with writing 50,000 words during the month of November. That’s 1,667 words per day. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, it is - it took me around 2 years to write the 100,000 words of my first manuscript. 50,000 words is a tall order, but this amazing challenge has been helping writers around the world “win” for years. Many NaNo projects go on to be publish - check out this amazing GoodReads list for inspiration!

I decided to join NaNo for a few reasons. The first is that I was passed on for #PitchWars. While they haven’t announced mentees yet, since I didn’t get any requests for my full manuscript, that means I wasn’t chosen. While I am very disappointed not to have been chosen (since it’s an amazing opportunity) I’m thankful for the experience. I discovered the amazing writing community on Twitter, connected with a great CP, and met a ton of fellow writers! I also found out about NaNo through the Pitch Wars community. Rather than wallowing in my sadness, I decided jumping into a 50,000 word challenge was just the thing to motivate myself.

For the past month, I’ve been outlining a story idea I’ve had since the 6th grade. It’s a YA fantasy novel that brings in a lot of inspiration from Tamora Pierce and Leigh Bardugo. It’s the idea that actually spurred me to start writing. I got myself an orange spiral notebook and starting writing “The Elementals” in my spare time between classes. It’s what started me on my lifelong journey of being a writer, and I’m ecstatic to be diving back in. While almost nothing in my outline is the same as that story I wrote so long ago, some of the key characters remain. I haven’t heard from them in years, and I’m thrilled to be bringing them to life again.

The NaNo community has been amazing so far. I’ve joined up with the Chicago community on Facebook, the website, and Discord. There are tons of in person events planned at coffee shops, bookstores, and libraries around the city, and everyone has been very welcoming and helpful. If you’re participating in NaNo - whether in Chicago or elsewhere - let me know! I’d love to connect, hear about your story, and get NaNo tips if you have them. It’s my first year, but I’m here to win!