This year I consciously avoided participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It has been something of
an obsession for about the past five years. I eagerly awaited November so that
I could achieve my 50,000-word target, print out my certificate, and order the
t-shirt. It worked well for me, because it helped me to write the first draft of
several novels, some of which I have now published. You can read my last NaNoWriMo novel, Heart of the Vampire (A Redcliffe Novel) Book 5 to see an example.
At some point I realised that I no longer needed NaNoWriMo. I have a collection of draft novels awaiting my
attention, and I am so busy with freelance work and family life that I really
couldn’t fit in the challenge this year. I didn’t want to. If I really needed
to take part, I would make the time possible, like I did in previous years. But
it simply lost its appeal. I loved the time I spent working on NaNoWriMo projects, and I would
recommend it to anyone who is looking for a starting point, some inspiration
and motivation, and the online support groups that come with it. But I am
moving on. Farewell, NaNoWriMo. We
had a good run together.
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