The first year I attempted NaNoWriMo, I did not actually hit the 50k word goal…but what I got was so much more: I gained clarity on what my purpose is in life, and found that I was not only capable of making it a reality, but that the limitations holding me back were not real.
Read on to learn how NaNoWriMo can provide you the clarity, focus and motivation you need to get a jumpstart on manifesting your wildest dreams now!
BONUS: I’ve created a 15-page NaNoWriMo workbook for tracking your personal growth and writing progress. Scroll down to the end of the post to access your free workbook immediately!
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What is NaNoWriMo?
For those who are unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month. As defined on the official NaNoWriMo website, “NaNoWriMo is a…nonprofit organization that provides tools, structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds — on and off the page.”
Every November, the organization hosts an online creative challenge in which people can take on the daunting task of writing a 50,000 word novel in one month.
If that sounds both frightening and intriguing, then you may want to check it out! After years of writing countless plot braids, story outlines, and one-line ideas, I decided to take the plunge and finally sign up.
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My First Experience
Fifty-thousand words is a tall order. For all the writing I’d done over the years, I had yet to make it to 50k in any story, let alone 25k. But I persisted and decided that it was time. As I shared earlier, I did not make it to the 50k finish line, but I got so much more from my experience than I expected.
While I wrote 30k in two weeks and was on track to win, by mid-November I chose to shift gears when I gained clarity on other areas of my life. I traded in self-criticisms for self-empowerment, and enrolled in courses to become a certified life coach.
Since then, I’ve gone on to gain additional certifications in Energy Therapy (Reiki & EFT) and broadened my life coach training to more niche coaching, including for life purpose and manifestation. And best of all? I’m still expanding my practice and expertise to better support both my personal and professional wellbeing.
And I truly credit all of this to participating in NaNoWriMo. Just imagine what it can do for you!
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Lessons I Learned from NaNoWriMo
Yes, NaNowrimo taught me a few things about myself as a writer:
- Writing 2,000+ words a day is much easier than I thought;
- If I set my mind to it, I can accomplish 50k in one month; and
- Reaching creative flow is exhilarating.
But in general, I learned more truths that carried a large-reaching, ripple effect through all areas of my life:
- Creative flow encourages flow in all other life areas;
- My self-imposed restrictions stifled both my creative expression as well as overall self expression; and
- I am capable of more than I think.
This last point was the piece of straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back (no actual camels need be harmed, though). Competing in NaNoWriMo challenged my limiting beliefs and provided definitive proof that the limits were not real.
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Personal Growth, Accelerated
Even if you’ve never considered writing a book, I would recommend joining NaNoWriMo for the following reasons:
Competing Against Yourself:
You are not battling it out with anyone but yourself. While there are milestones to track your word count, there are no competitions pitting you against anyone else. Everyone is encouraged to do what they can. Even if it’s purely to step outside your comfort zone and try something completely different than anything you’ve done before.
In fact, there’s nothing like banding together with strangers all with the same goal. I found that a lot of the concerns I had before starting were shared with others I spoke with.
Surrounding yourself with likeminded individuals can provide a level of empowerment and motivation to achieve what you’ve never done before! Besides that, it’s an excellent way to bond with others, especially for introverts like myself!
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You Set the Rules:
Just like pirate code, NaNoWriMo rules are more like guidelines. While the general foundation is writing 50k in a new, fictional story, many people use the month to polish up an existing work, write nonfiction or an autobiography, or set their own word count goal.
This is the beauty of the writing event. Not only do you customize NaNoWriMo to fit your wants and needs, but you also decide what kind of challenge you want to triumph over.
The one underlying guideline that remains true across the board is your willingness to step outside of your comfort zone, set aside your fears, and write.
Quiet the Inner Critic:
Since this event focuses on word count, it is all about getting the words down without critiquing. No editing is allowed. Or at least, it is discouraged. You can make notes on the side for what you want to return to, but overall it’s a mad dash to the finish line.
Why, you ask? Because it isn’t about getting your story written down, perfectly. It’s about getting it written down, period. This key aspect helped the perfectionist in me quiet down. And with the inner criticisms silenced, my creativity was able to run rampant.
Without editing along the way, your story may take some weird turns… Why is there a horse coming into this scene all of a sudden? Where did this love triangle come from in a murder mystery? Who cares, it’s there now! And in allowing your creativity to do what it pleases, it leads to twists in the story that could never have occurred if you edited along the way.
IMPROVE SELF-AWARENESS: Check out the guided journals in the shop to support your personal and spiritual growth.
Engage Your Imagination and Creativity:
With your self criticisms falling behind, you are left free to explore your creativity. Your imagination will awaken and be given new life. NaNoWriMo is a playground that allows you to throw all caution to the wind and fully engage with your inner child.
Your story will take countless twists and turns, and so will your thinking. You may find that making connections in your story turns into gaining clarity in your life.
It’s like coming up with your best ideas while in the shower, going for a run, or hanging out with friends. When you remove the pressure of needing to find a solution, you are left to engage life in a fun way that can lead to making new conclusions.
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Creative Flow Becomes Life Flow:
All of the creative benefits you receive from participating in NaNoWriMo help to provide an outline of what can happen in everyday life.
Creative flow is aligning your energy, focus and drive to a singular goal. It’s that feeling of being “in the zone,” when you become a creative genius and magic happens.
For NaNoWriMo, that goal is writing a novel in one month. However, this flow can be achieved in all areas of life — and nanowrimo provides a smaller approach to understand what that flow feels like!
Life doesn’t have to be a struggle. The path of least resistance is not only real, but the one you are called to walk.
Use the month to increase your awareness of what flow feels like for you. As you familiarize yourself with that, you can then explore what that flow state feels like in other life areas.
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Feed Your Flow
To assist you in diving deep and staying immersed in your flow, I’ve created a free tracker and personal growth workbook to join you on your NaNoWriMo journey!
By subscribing, you will also receive the monthly newsletter and be notified new additions like this workbook to the free resource library.
More Resources
Aside from this workbook, you can also work directly with me to heal, grow, and transform your life:
P.S.
While I am promoting participation in NaNoWriMo, this is not a sponsored post. I chose to write about my experience and takeaways and create a workbook because I wanted to.
Two images used in this article are not my own. All rights reserved by the owners:
Cady Heron – Limit does not exist
Pirates of the Caribbean – They’re more like guidelines