The most terrifying thing about Halloween (October 31st) is that NaNoWriMo comes the very next day, November 1. What is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month. It’s basically a program where you try to write 50k words by the end of November. I’ve written about it before. It was a huge launchpad for me to finish the novel that I’m now currently revising. It’s an incredible habit-creator and enforcer. But you can read about that here.

Though it is amazing, it is very scary and very hard. If you divide 50k by 30 you get 1667 words a day, rounded up. That’s a lot, but it’s doable. You need to be dedicated, disciplined, and thick-skinned. It ain’t gonna be easy. In fact, it’s going to be really hard. You’re going to want to quit. Don’t. Just pump the words out. Even if they’re total garbage. GET. IT. OUT.

What’s my NaNoWriMo idea? Instead of working on a sequel to my current novel or some other ideas I have, I’m going to be pursuing a story about a female vigilante. I originally imagined it as a graphic novel or comic book series, but a novelization won’t hurt. I eventually decided on this idea over the others because honestly, it was the one I could keep to a somewhat shorter length. The first draft of my last novel sat around 740 pages…Yikes.

November is going to be a busy month for me. Not only will I write 1667 words per day, I’ll also have my hands full with work on my already-written novel, which is currently undergoing its fourth revision. I’m going to be sending it out to a slew of beta readers (hi, someone please read it), finishing my fourth revision, and perfecting a query letter. I want my novel along with any accompaniments (like a query letter) to be ready to go by end of month. Terrifying. Not to mention, my full-time day job.

But we got this! Sometimes, the more you have going on, the more momentum you pick up. This is not to say that one should ignore health (mental and physical). You’ll still find me boxing every day and taking time for me, just in a more efficient manner. I’m excited and nervous. I bet this month will fly.

If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo 2018, what are you planning to write about? Good luck to all my writers out there! Let’s get to WORK!