Nanowrimo 2021 – a full reflection

Nanowrimo – a full reflection

Well, oops. This is late.

Nanowrimo takes place in every November. If you read my post published at the halfway mark, you’ll know that I got a pretty good run at it.

Reader, I am thrilled to tell you that, for the very first time, I completed Nanowrimo. I wrote every single day for a full 30 days and ended up with 50,000 (FIFTY THOUSAND!) words of a first draft of a novel. This was absolutely an achievement that I felt extremely proud of, and it’s definitely instilled me with confidence moving forward.

*fanfare*

However…

This is really late. Nearly two whole months late. If I enjoyed writing so much, every day, and felt instilled with confidence moving forward, why didn’t I update my blog in all of December? Why did I not write this blog celebrating my win as soon as I could?

Well, reader, I got burnt out! I decided to take a “small” break from writing that ended up being not so small, and then when I wanted to write, I ended up feeling overwhelmed as I let all the blogs, the novel, and poetry I wanted to write stack up around me. And then it was the festive period, and things were busy, and we all know that life is just unwaveringly depressing when it gets dark at 4pm. Leaving for work and getting home in the pitch black cold didn’t leave me with a lot of energy to keep up writing!

A lot of authors will tell you they wrote through their lunch breaks at work. For Nanowrimo, I wrote through my lunch break. This was really fulfilling, and when I got home at night with over 1,000 words already in my pocket, I felt very proud of myself. But doing this is also very tiring.

I may have said this before, but I’m saying it again. Writing, no matter what it is, no matter how much I enjoy it, no matter how much I want to finish something and move a project forward, is work. It takes mental energy and can quickly become overwhelming and taxing. It is my entire life and identity, but it can be so strenuous at times, and it’s easy to wind up feeling insecure and stressed by it all. I often have to convince myself not to give up on it all because sometimes it feels like no one cares and I put way more into it than I get out of it. This is not a hobby for me, it’s what I want for my life, and it sometimes feels like my head is a windowless, doorless room, and I’m inside it bouncing off of hard, grey walls. So as fulfilling and as fun as Nanowrimo was, it was really difficult at times too.

I say all this because, fuck it, I want you, reader, to know that I am proud of myself for doing it, getting through it, and not giving up on myself. And I’m proud of the other writers who attempted Nanowrimo, who completed it, and I’m proud of the writers who write every second they can, through lunch breaks and on trains and busses, and at 3am when they should really be asleep (if this is you I am not only proud, but also astonished, and also a little scared of you). 

Oh, uh, I also mentioned a vlog last time in my other post? That’s not happening. I wanted to make the video and then I kind of didn’t. Now I want to move on. All you’re missing out on is bad angles, bad lighting, and me talking about everything here and in the other blog. No biggie smalls.

Finally, thank you to everyone who was supportive and spoke to me about Nanowrimo and to everyone who participated alongside me! Thank you to everyone who read my last post about the challenge! Your kind words helped a lot and really saw me through the tail end of the month. And one again, congrats to every writer who participated! 

I just finished reading the Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and will be reviewing soon! Get your own copy through the link below, and support me and local bookshops

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