Dear Reader,

Today I’m diverging from the path of flash fiction to talk about National Novel Writing Month. Many writers used to join NaNoWriMo for this occasion, but they’ve closed up shop for a variety of reasons. I know that as a long-time participant and former ML with NaNo, I felt an odd sense of emptiness last year without the typical chaos of cheering others on while simultaneously attempting to hash out my story.

I missed hearing about what others were working on, and coming up with the most insane ways to keep their stories moving. Or hearing all the crazy ideas to get myself out of the corner I’d found myself barricaded by words in.

Of course there were other options, most of which I learned about a little too late. I’m a planner — if it’s not scheduled, it won’t happen. I don’t relish spontaneity, thriving on routines and rhythms. My family can tell you stories about this behavior that go well back into my toddlerhood. 

“Too late” for me could mean I found out about them after they started, but still before November. Either way, I created my own that year, complete with badges to win. 

But this year, I’m prepared. I’ve been waiting for Novel90 Fall Edition to happen, complete with a plan. Except, I noticed other challenges creeping up, including one called Novel November. It’s hosted by ProWritingAid, and you don’t need to use their program to join in.

Let me address this up front. ProWritingAid is not generative AI. Therefore, you can use their grammar checker and other reports to strengthen your writing before you ask people to beta read, and before you attempt to submit anything for publication or to agents. Yes, there is a generative AI feature in it, which is called Sparks, and you must click on it to use. Further, if you choose to run any of the reports on your work, PWA doesn’t use your writing to train anything. Your work will always remain your own. And before you say, “yeah but…” can I tell you I’ve watched people ask agents about PWA, and the question has confused them considering they use it in-house to check for grammatical issues. Okay, back to the topic at hand.

The difference between Novel90 and Novel November is that Novel90 spreads it over three months. You can use that time however you want, but if you want to enter the Winner’s Circle and go in the running for the official prize, you’d need to outline, write 50k or more, and edit a book in that time. As a person who understands that distance between myself and my writing helps me be more objective, that’s a contest I’ll never win, and I’m okay with that.

With Novel90 you’ll join a team: Planner, Plantster, Pantser, or Team Confused. You can attend check-ins and chats with the coaches of those teams, as well as a few group Zoom events for all participants. They also offer merch to purchase based on your team and the Novel90 logo.

NovNov’s challenge is to write 50k or more in November. Over that time, you can participate on their forums and make new friends by joining a Writer’s Circle more specific to your genre. Keep in mind that if you sign up now, the Writer’s Circles are limited, but they will be expanding.

Throughout October as you outline your book or do whatever prepares you for writing 50k words or more, you can sign up for all kinds of Zoom events that will talk about anything from outlining to how to keep writing without burning out. In November, you can sign up for free hour-long sprints via Zoom. At this time, they don’t offer any merch, but you will earn badges. You’ll get your first one after you sign up and enter the Nov Nov community. You’ll earn more for signing up for various Zoom sessions, as well as some for the time you spend writing.

Both are run by authors who want to give back to the writing community. If you’re debating between the two and don’t want to join them both like I did, perhaps consider whether you have time to hash out 50k words in one month or if you’d like to spread that out over a few.

Now, because I’ve joined both, I have specific goals to reach with each one. My intention is to spend this month outlining the novel I’ll be writing next month. I’ll also take time to jot down backstories for my characters, create my typical Pinterest board (sorry, I keep those private), a playlist, and a book cover. 

In November, I’ll be writing the story I’m calling Just One More Day. In one sentence. 

When retired English teacher Meg Chamberlain’s husband, Jax, dies mid-dental procedure on a young patient, she wishes for one more day with him—but when granted her wish, she discovers that truly loving him means accepting she can’t save him.

I have a second book on standby should I need a few minutes of brevity from Just One More Day. It’s a book I outlined last year before I realized that my mind and body needed a break before I burned out.

It’s titled All Is Bright (Eventually). Yep, it’s a holiday story. In a sentence:

An Instagram-obsessed newlywed’s dream of hosting a picture-perfect Christmas crumbles when her clingy, baby-hungry mother and extended family crash her meticulously planned social media-worthy holiday.

If I finish Just One More Day before the end of November, I may also delve into All Is Bright (Eventually). My local writing group is probably laughing at that statement—I once wrote 50k in 5 days. 

In December, if Just One More Day is finished, I’ll choose between working on All Is Bright (Eventually) and editing what I wrote during Novel90’s Spring edition, titled Letting Go Of Before. I’m excited to dig into revisions with that project, but I needed a little time and distance to help me remain objective. It’s been an emotional story to work on, and at times I needed to step away and go find something uplifting to do. In one sentence:

A maternity nurse who relentlessly punishes her failing body and her chaplain husband, who’s wrestling with his faith, struggle to hold their marriage together amidst an endless sea of negative pregnancy tests and devastating miscarriages—until her pregnant teenage niece lands on their doorstep, testing the fragile peace they’ve worked to reclaim.

Now, if neither of these sounds like fun to you, there’s plenty more to choose from. Sara Cannon from Heart Breathings is hosting a Rough Draft Challenge and has free printables for participants. There’s also NoQu. Novelember, which is being hosted on their Discord server. Rain and Jen started Pathfinders Writing Collective, which also hosts one in November. They host 4 a year, so if the current time frame doesn’t work, you’ve got options.

If you join Novel90 or NovNov, you might find me in their community sections. Either way, best of luck to everyone embarking on a November writing journey!