Did you join Nanowrimo this year? I didn’t. After doing it once, I can safely say I don’t want to do it again.

Having said that, it was an awesome experience and I got something out of it. My third book, The Search for Adarna, is a Nanowrimo baby. So it wasn’t all bad.

My editor did say that if possible, I shouldn’t write books during Nanowrimo anymore. Why? Well, here are the reasons why.

The editing is brutal

When I was writing during Nanowrimo, my whole project felt rushed. I had to deliver quickly and I had a word count per day no matter what else was going on in my life. While I love writing on a deadline, it was hard to take my time with the storyline. It felt like I was running to the finish line to put the words ‘The End’ instead of enjoying the process of being creative.

In the end, I had to add at least 20,000 words and corrected a lot of errors that I missed while I was writing. It’s good to be motivated to finish something in a month but be prepared for the brutal editing process afterwards. Thank goodness my editors were patient with me!


It’s not finished for a long time

Like I said above, because of the nature of Nanowrimo, everything is rushed. So even after you’ve finished the whole thing and gotten that much coveted Nanowrimo badge (and have screamed about it on social media), the real work (part two) begins.

The novel isn’t finished. Far from it. The structural and copy editing takes a lot of time. My suggestion is to let that novel rest for a while and start a new project that’s different from it (not the sequel). Once your mind has rested from the rush of writing that novel, then open that again and start the editing process. Having that rest period is quite effective. It gives you a fresh perspective and allows you to edit your work better.

Winning isn’t everything

Yes, I know a shiny badge is nice. And it does feel good to finish something that you’ve always wanted to do. I mean, a novel in a month is quite a miracle. But even if you don’t “win” Nanowrimo, it’s not a big deal. It still means that you have something that you didn’t have before – a beginning to your novel. You’ve started a book and that’s a good thing!

Now you can just continue that process even after November – even just for 30 minutes a day. No need to rush. No need to compete. Just keep at it until you’re finished. Use Nanowrimo as a launch pad and don’t fret too much if you don’t get a badge. Make your own on Canva! LOL

Good luck and I hope you finish (or begin) something this Nanowrimo.