NaNoEdMo
Ever heard of NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month)?
It’s an annual challenge to writers to write a novel (50,000 words) during the month of November.
I wanted to participate this year, but I didn’t want to write. I needed to edit.
A cityscape scene from my novel in progress, created in the AI generator Midjourney.
I’ve “won” NaNoWriMo (aka written 50,000 words) three times, and twice for this novel, so I have plenty of words at this point. But in order to finish the project, I need to put on my editor’s cap.
So I decided on an equivalent editing goal for myself this month. I am planning to spend 50 hours on revisions.
Revisions have always felt daunting to me. Letting my imagination run free and working to hit a word count can is an adrenaline rush, but editing is a slower, muckier process that uses different parts of my skillset – ones that feel a bit dustier.
Here’s how I’m structuring my NaNoEdMo so that I can succeed – and maybe even finish this book.
I have a plan for breaking up the text. This seems so obvious, but it took me a while to figure out how to work through the 300+ pages I have drafted. I would periodically open the manuscript and get overwhelmed by the length and lack of organization. After several frantic minutes of searching for somewhere to start, I would edit a sentence or two and close it again.
I mentioned the issue to a friend and got some sage advice. “Think about what’s necessary in each chapter. Then, evaluate what’s already there and figure out what can stay, what needs to be added, and what can be removed.”
I already had a good sense of what my first few chapters would look like, so I broke them out of the main text and started there. Once I had finished evaluating them, I could see a clear path to the next chapters, which I hadn’t even been able to wrap my mind around before. Now, every time I sit down to edit, I’m either working on an existing chapter or beginning a new one – which means I’m not spending my time lost in the monstrous, 300-page version of the book.
I’ve committed to a time to work. I’ve won NaNoWriMo by scraping any additional moments out of my days, even bringing laptops to work to type away through lunch breaks. But having a toddler, a full-time job, and a few side hustles means that there’s not a lot of extra time to scrape. And editing is a process I need at least a few minutes to sink into. For NaNoEdMo, I’m waking up an hour early on weekdays, before my kiddo wakes up (usually!). I have enough time to run downstairs and reheat coffee – no time to brew a whole pot! – and be back at my desk to start by 7:30 a.m.
I’m not a morning person and have always struggled to drag myself out of bed, but the excitement of working on the book and having a few quiet moments to wake up with the world has kept me in it so far. I also write a few nights a week and about 2-4 hours on the weekends as I try to reach 50 hours.
I have supportive practices. I love the sound generator myNoise, which helps me set the mood to write. My morning go-to generator is The Pilgrim, a meditative hang drum soundscape. Later in the day I love Oak Song, recommended to me by my lovely friend Tara of Great Abiding Yoga (my book is about people turning into trees, after all).
I’m also taking advantage of Asheville’s wonderful offerings for writers. I signed up for a Flatiron Writers Room class, The Riotous Act of Revision, and I’m so excited for the tools and practices that will come from it.
I have supportive people. I’ve made it a point to tell everyone I’ve set this goal for myself. Some of them, like my husband, can help me take the time and space I need to do the work. Others, like writer friends doing NaNoWriMo, are great for sharing words of encouragement with. And while I have mixed feelings about social media, sharing there netted further encouragement – and helps me feel even more accountable.
I am so excited that I’m finally editing my project. Even if life gets in the way and I fall short of my hourly goal, I’ve settled into a routine that supports actually finishing the book – and hopefully getting it out into the world.