RiverBender Blog: I'm Writing a Novel in a Month

I’m going to become a novelist.

That’s right, you heard it here first. After months of trying to find a hobby (rollerskating, goat yoga, and watercolor painting top the list so far), I have decided I will simply do more of what I do for a living, and write. And I love writing, so I can’t wait!

Some context: November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. For writing nerds like me, this is an opportunity to hunker down and focus on a longform project. People around the world dedicate this month to writing 50,000 words, which is roughly the length of a short novel.

I tried to do this once before, in 2020 when quarantine was still going strong and I needed a hobby. Even then, with more free time, I was too unfocused.

So why in the world do I think I can manage it this year, when I’m busier than ever? No idea. But with levels of optimism only a fool would have, I will be cracking open my laptop on Nov. 1 and getting to work.

Writing 50,000 words may not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but let’s do the math. At my job where I work eight hours a day, I typically fit in around 2,000 words. Granted, I’m also reporting and interviewing and researching, so it’s not constant writing, but still. We’ll say I average 55,000 words a month at work, give or take a few thousand.

So now this month, I’ll be trying to fit in an additional 50,000 words in my daily life. It feels a little bit impossible. I’m going over my schedule as we speak, looking for open blocks of time where I could fit in a few hours of writing.

Goodbye, social life. Hello, Microsoft Word.

More likely, goodbye sleep, because that seems like the most lucrative hours of the day. I do my best creative writing between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., when the rest of the world is asleep and, more often than not, I’m coming down from a caffeine rush. Right before the crash, I can push out a couple thousand words of storyline.

You might be thinking, “Okay, cool, but what are you going to write about?” And the answer to that is, I haven’t decided yet! I don’t know what I’m going to write 50,000 words about.

The point is just deciding to do it, which I have done. Now when we get to the nitty gritty of actually writing, that’ll be a whole new struggle. But in the meantime, I’m pretty pleased with my commitment.

Care to join me in this challenge? It seems impossible, but a lot of people actually complete the 50,000 words in the month of November. So there’s no reason why I can’t, too, right?

Guess we’ll find out. If you see me at any point in November, my apologies if I seem snappish. I’m liable to be a little sleep-deprived.

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