In six days, NaNoWriMo 2021 will kick off. 

For those who aren’t familiar with NaNoWriMo, it is a yearly, November  challenge in which people around the globe attempt to write a 50,000-word-minimum rough draft of a novel. 

As the founder and current organizers of NaNoWriMo explain, the challenge’s aim is to help a writer, or wanna-be writer, achieve their goals. 

I tried to “win” NaNoWriMo 4 or 5 times between 2009 and 2019. Life circumstances always intervened, and I never got more than 1/2-way to the 50,000-word mark.

As a result, I was elated last year to write 50,000+ words and to wear the “2020 NaNoWriMo Winner” t-shirt I bought as an incentive. 

I wasn’t planning to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. Although I love the concept itself and the intense focus on writing it requires, I have two large projects I’m also more than ready to spend some time on.

But two weeks ago I was struck with a strong desire to accept the challenge again this year. I decided to step away from this blog and, for the most part, from social media for the entire month of November in order to free up the time and energy needed for writing, on average, 1667 words per day. 

With that decision, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I have a love-hate relationship with social media, and my hope is that this quasi-break will give me the opportunity to step back and consider how (or even if) I want to utilize it again when December 1 arrives.

I hope that if you don’t already, you’ll visit, “like”, and “follow” my Facebook author page (Patti Miinch), where I will be posting 5-6 days each week. I’ll be sharing information that will (hopefully) inspire, inform, and entertain you along with NaNoWriMo updates. 

If you think you have a novel inside of you, there’s still time to sign up for NaNoWriMo 2021. Find out more at  NaNoWriMo.