NaNoWriMo Is Here!

Untitled work in progress, 2020

Oil on canvas 15” x 30”

This week I am at the mercy of my medium - oil paint. First let me just say, oil paint is a wonderful medium. It is highly blendable and it has a beautiful depth of color. However, it is also very… very… slow to cure. One of the challenges when working with oils is patience. The same quality that makes oil paint smooth and blendable also presents the artist with a tricky problem as building too many colors too quickly results in “mud” (and many tears). Currently, I am at the ever so exhilarating stage of watching paint dry. I share all the good stuff with you guys. ;)

While we wait for this layer to cure I’d like to take the opportunity to chat with you all about another art form - writing. November is a special month, and not just because we get to celebrate Thanksgiving, but because it’s NaNoWriMo! NaNoWriMo stands for: National Novel Writing Month (I could hear some of you saying “NaNo-What-Oh?” from the other side of the screen). To all my friends who love to write, this one’s for you!   

(Image courtesy of NaNoWriMo)

According to its website, “National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.” (NaNoWriMo.org). 

This challenge has morphed since its original inception in 1999 and has become a broader call to writers of all stripes to simply write. It is an invitation to be intentional with your time, set personal goals, and write what you love; whether that’s writing a novel, writing a screenplay in your journal, or writing post cards to distant friends. You know, all those writing ideas you were going to pursue “someday.” Why not start them today? Why not make November your month to create? You might just make something awesome and you never know who you might inspire. Think about how lost we would be if Paul never took the time to write all those letters to the early church or if David never wrote down his lyrics! 

(Image courtesy of Wikimedia.org)

Attributed to Valentin de Boulogn, Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, circa 1618 - circa 1620 Oil paint 

So how does one participate in NaNoWriMo? As far as I can tell there are two options: 

Option 1: Stand up in your living room and in a loud voice declare, “I AM GOING TO DO  NaNoWriMo!” and then set a writing goal and go write.

-or-

Option 2: Set up a free account on the official NaNoWriMo website and then set a writing goal and go write.

The NaNoWriMo website offers a bounty of features for participants (should you decide to go with option number two). This is the first year that I have signed up and, to be honest, I have only scratched the surface of what the website has to offer. Creating a profile grants you access to all kinds of tools to help you track your progress as well as resources to provide encouragement. One of the coolest aspects of the profile page is that it allows you to set up specific word count goals for your individual writing projects. Whenever you write (whether that’s in your word processor or in your journal with a pen) simply log-in and enter your word count for the day and the site will track your progress.  

“It tracks words for writers like Fitbit tracks steps.” (NaNoWriMo.org).

There is even a function, called “Stats”, which provides charts that map your journey. I really appreciate being able to actually see my progression as I am a highly visual person. Your profile page is also accessible ALL YEAR LONG, not just during the month of November, so you can add new projects and set new word goals whenever you like. 

If high-tech just isn’t for you then go old-school - set a specific writing goal and simply make a note of your word count each day in the back of your journal. :) Easy peasy right?

Whatever way you choose to go; whether it’s via official sign-up or by living room proclamation; whether your goal is 50,000 words or 500 words; November is a fantastic opportunity to give it a shot. God has blessed you with a voice that is uniquely yours, share it! Set a goal, be intentional with your time, and strive to realize all those wonderful ideas that have been floating around your head on paper. And as you do, know that I and all the other writers at NaNoWriMo are cheering for you.

God bless and happy writing my friends!