Why You Should Try NaNoWriMo

Another July, another NaNoWriMo.

For those new to the event, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) is a call-to-action for authors to pen a 50,000 word novel in just 30 (or 31) days. What began as an annual November event soon morphed into a biyearly event with the version of "Camp NaNoWriMo" for the summer. Camp was so successful they broke it up into two events; one in April and the other July.

I wrote extensively about my first experience with NaNoWriMo. It was an unexpected journey that ushered me from uncertain fledgling into the realm of serious writers. I didn't know just how far I could go until I used the event to challenge my boundaries. It gave me the tools I needed to silence my goblin and helped me gain trust in my writing process.

What makes this year's Camp so exciting is the ability to set your own word count goal. Gone are my days of hanging my head in shame when I can't complete 50,000 words. I've attempted the November event three times and Camp three times previously. I only "won" the first time I tried in 2011. I've set next month's goal at 25,000 while I work on building a fantasy short story collection.  I feel confident that I can attain this while balancing my work and parenting obligations.

I hope you'll join me in July's challenge. If you're still not sure if NaNo is for you or if you think 50,000 words sounds completely insane (which it does), maybe my NaNoWriMo Survival Guide will sway you. If I can to do it, so can you!