Why I Quit NaNoWriMo: A College Student’s Lament

My Story

If you follow my blog, Instagram, or Twitter, it’s likely you’ve seen that I was participating in NaNoWriMo this year.  It’s an annual event where thousands of writers set out to get down 50,000 words in a month.  I’ve done it before and I actually have plenty of downtime in college.  I thought it would be the perfect time to resurrect my novel Skin Deep.

I first wrote Skin Deep as an eighth grader, and published it on Wattpad as I wrote it.  The premise is that everything people say appears on their skin, and if someone can’t talk for whatever reason, they’re considered insane.  It’s told from the point of view of a mute boy who spent his childhood in an asylum.

It received some traction, and in 2015 Wattpad requested to feature it.  I completely rewrote the draft in a mad dash and that’s what’s available on Wattpad today.  But that was still my sophomore year of high school and I’ve always felt I couldn’t lay the story to rest.

Starting NaNoWri

I focused on restructuring and tightening the plot, armed myself with my new Mac edition of Scrivener, and set off.  

The first day was like pulling teeth.

I quickly disregarded the shiny new outline and made a folder.  Each day I would create a new file, label it Day 1, etc., and just write until I hit the 1,667 words.  It didn’t matter what really happened, as long as it was down on the paper.  It was in accordance to the spirit of NaNo at least.

This was fine, but I wasn’t really getting anywhere.  I’ve never been a quantity over quality person and was even debating handwriting pre-NaNo to get over the perfectionism that typing yanks out of me.  

The story derailed and quickly.  I tossed some random nuns in, no one was actually doing anything (which was the goal of the rewrite), and my protagonist turned into a whiny victim which reflected my state of mind.

The Weekend to End It All

I was going strong for eleven straight days.  One weekend I had to write five pieces for school, a mix of creative and nonfiction, for my Professional Writing class.  I submitted a paper for my literature class Friday and had the abstract for the next one due Monday, let alone the weekly essays we already submitted. 

That weekend I churned out thousands of words over two days, but none of them were for the story that was like passing a kidney stone anyway.  

I reached out to my beloved NaNoBuJo group on Facebook (bullet journalers who participate in NaNoWriMo), and they offered a wide array of advice.

The Advice

1.  Focus on mental health over churning out words
2.  Hold onto the fact that I still have more words than the beginning of the month and just write what I can
3.  Set a new goal, either a lower word count or a longer timeframe
4.  Handwrite it to separate it from academic writing 
5.  Count every word written in the month, not just novel writing
6.  Stop thinking and just write even if it’s terrible
7.  Don’t prioritize “winning” over the stress I’m feeling
8.  Count homework words until I can write enough of the novel to replace the assignment words
9.  Quit.  NaNo isn’t mandatory and I should focus on what I can handle 

This is exactly why it’s important to surround yourself with other writers.  I suddenly had 9 options besides just feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

But while I deliberated, the expanse between my actual word count and where it should be grew wider and wider.  

Surrender

So here I am, on November 13th, 2018, waiving my white flag.  After homework today I sat down with Plotting Your Novel by Janice Hardy.  I’ve had it for so many years it’s watermarked, covered in handwriting, and has the old title (previously Planning Your Novel).

I wrote about who I am as a writer, what has and hasn’t worked for me, and what I’m drawn to in books, TV, and movies.  I completed these exercises in my almost-finished writer’s notebook that deserves a post of its own.

And I finally felt at peace.

Are You Struggling with NaNo?

If you are, I understand.  If you’re a student like me, a mom, a full-time employee, a first-time writer, a word-churner by profession, or just slower at typing, I give you permission to quit.

Now, that doesn’t mean I give you permission to stop writing.

If your novel is demanding to be told, tell it.  But you don’t have to do it in a month.  As the women in my group said, “winning” isn’t worth a high price on your mental health or other duties.  

If you’ve fallen pray to the lie that you’re not a real writer if you don’t work on your book every single day, check out Allie Pleiter’s The Chunky Method.

It focuses on project management for writers, and allows you plenty of grace while still meeting your deadlines.  

There is most definitely a place for NaNoWriMo, and I wholeheartedly believe in it.  It’s a noble pursuit to write 50,000 words in a month.  But if you’re sacrificing the story you’re trying to tell or damaging your mental health, it might be wise to check out the options listed above.  

Let me know if you’re struggling with similar thoughts.  I would love to hear from you.