It’s that time of year, squiders. I have received at least half a dozen emails this week about it.
NaNoWriMo.
It still is so so strange to me how commercial it has gotten over the last two decades. But never mind that.
Every year, in September, when the “Hey, Nano is coming up, GET READY” emails start showing up, I take a moment to ponder whether or not I am, indeed, doing Nano.
This is silly. On the years that I am doing Nano, I generally have determined my intention to do so on my own before this point, and I’ve also, you know, picked a project and have outlined the necessary prep work and my timeline for said prep work. Or done said prep work! Depending on the project, of course.
On years that I am probably not going to do Nano, I have completely forgotten it exists until someone or something brings it up.
(I did my first Nano in 2003, did nine years straight, and have done it on and off over the past decade when it fits in my schedule.)
So, seeing how the emails surprised me, I am probably not doing Nano this year. But my brain still insists we sit and think about it anyway.
I don’t have anything in the prep stages right now. The last Nano I did was 2021, where I wrote most of what would become Hallowed Hill. I did do 2020 as well (the first time I’ve ever finished a draft during Nano itself, doing my cozy mystery), and 2019 (World’s Edge, fantasy). I wrote Across Worlds with You (serial, going up monthly at TDP) in April and haven’t spent any time on prepping any other stories since then.
So. Nothing in the wings, as it were.
Last year I thought I’d use the Nano momentum to get somewhere on my Book 1 revision. This did not work. (I did go to the Kickoff party and make myself sick by drinking coffee after 10 pm. -100/10, do not recommend.) While, in general, you can make and track projects on the Nano website, you cannot actually track non-standard Nanos during Nano.
And I’m still in the middle of this revision (well, actually in the middle. Last year Hallowed Hill had come out in October so I was a bit in recovery mode and hadn’t really started). No reason to think that anything is going to be different this year.
But part of me really wants to do it. To come up with a new story, and pound out 50,000 words, and see what happens.
This is irresponsible. And, as I mentioned before, I don’t really have any stories waiting to be written at the moment. So I would like to say, no, no Nano for me, unless I can figure out a way to leverage it for revision. (Also not a great idea because revision needs thought and intention, and Nano relies on chaotic creativity.)
But there is always a small chance that I will think of something, and I will really want to do it, and that I will jump in feet first come November.
Small.
But there.
Anyway. I can’t believe we’re a week out from October, the best month of the year. Where has the year gone?
See you next week, squiders!
