A New November...

November 1, 2025

For a long time now, each November, I've rustled up my intention and concentrated on writing every day of the month - no slacking.

The whole thing started with Chris Baty and a thing called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) back in 1999. But a few years ago, the organization fell on hard times and was forced to disband. But that doesn't mean that the writers of the world stopped doing their thing in November. We kept going, splintering into smaller organizations, buddying up with friends, and meeting on Discord, Zoom, and a host of other online and in-person locations. I was writing regularly long before NaNoWriMo, and I will continue to write long after the memory of it fades.

For me, NaNoWriMo began as a fun and friendly way to build habits of accountability. I knew that every November, writers from around the globe would have expectations that, even though I knew only a small cadre of them, I felt obliged to meet... that lofty goal of 50,000 words in just 30 days. Even as a life-long Passionate Plotter, although I was absolutely devoted to the creation of story, my habits were often sporadic. Sure, I planned each major story element and then filled in the holes whenever Drake suggested we play... but I didn't make a regular time for it. I wrote when Drake quacked, and when he was quiet, my keyboard usually was, too.

Then, that first NaNoWriMo November, I decided to get organized. Even though Drake was off on what he decided would be an annual vacation to New Zealand, I focused and got the writing done, anyway. I wasn't part of the bigger conglomeration, but I did it for myself. I wanted to see if I could actually accomplish such a big task. Every day, I wrote down my word counts in my journal and gave myself little rewards whenever I met a weekly milestone (it was usually chocolate). It turned out to be more fun than I expected, and the process helped me get to THE END on a lot of projects that I never thought I'd finish. It felt great. So, every year after, I did it again. Sometimes I "won" and sometimes I "lost"... but either way, I had something for Drake to work on when he got back from his trip.

In 2012, I decided to get serious about it, inviting other writers to join me. I created a Meet Up group and made a plan to take over the back room on Wednesday nights at my local Panera. The idea was that we would check in with each other, write for two hours, and gently nudge each other with a return the following week to do it all over again. The concept of writing in community really appealed to me because of the amazing energy that is transmitted when a bunch of creatives gather around a table together. It's a little like a mini lightning storm. We helped each other through plot problems and character conundrums, and simply shared in the joy of storytelling.

NaNoWriMo sets a word count goal of 50,000 words for the month, (which works out to 1,667 words per day) and we adopted that as our horizon. Sometimes we made it, other times we didn't. But the important part was, we met every week in cohort support to MAKE TIME for that thing we all loved... writing... without the distractions of laundry, dishes, family, and the day job. We had such a good time and realized such spectacular results writing together, that when December rolled around, we just kept at it, making new goals and lending each other even more support. We continued to gather, our numbers growing every Wednesday. By 2019, our little band of storytellers was 45 writers strong, meeting for two hours every week. It was a wonderful success for all of us!

Sadly, when the pandemic fell on us in 2020, it squashed our momentum. Pivoting to a remote meeting was difficult, and many dropped out. Some learned about the new technology and adjusted. Those who remained met daily, sometimes more than once a day, via computer servers. We played games, won digital recognition, engaged in gentle competition, and loaded up on bragging rights. By then, my writing habit was pretty solid, whether writing with others or writing on my own, and I got the words written, even through the weird shift in the process. Some years I started a new project, other years I finished or fine-tuned projects already in progress.

However, last year, after feeling lost and disconnected from the writing community... because let's face it, Discord and Zoom simply don't produce the same sort of energy you find siting around a big table with a group of creatives... I neglected my good habits and let my dedication to my writing practice fall off the calendar. I think I accomplished half of my word count goal last year. It was a dismal failure, as habits go. It's curious to me how just one year of neglect can unravel more than 20 years of devotion. I was frustrated.

This year, although there are many small organizations taking up the call to arms, both in person and online, Drake and I have decided to go it on our own. We're refocusing our intention on daily creative work, apart from the requirement of showing up for others. This year, we're getting back to basics and showing up for ourselves.

Yes, the goal is still 50,000 words written in the 30 days of November... which begins today... and I will still meet with my regular Monday night rabble rousers over at Creative Slingers of Ink online - feel free to join us, we have a good time! 😊

But this year, Drake and I have several things that need our attention. So, rather than expecting 50,000 words to show up in a single work, we'll be spreading those words out over a bunch of fun things... book reviews, blog articles, new writing projects, and finishing some established novel and novella projects we've been neglecting for far too long. Our goal this year is more about re-establishing that regular writing practice... a habit of prioritizing writing time every day, rather than only working on one project we can call "done."

We'll still post updates... perhaps not daily, but certainly weekly... just to make sure we're holding ourselves accountable. Regular check ins will help us build the momentum that will make our writing habit second nature again. If you'd like to cheer us on, either here or on Facebook, we'd love the support. And, if you have writing goals you're working on, please let us know what they are so we can gently hold you accountable and help you build momentum toward success. 😊🦆

Here's to a new November, and all our writing goals!