NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is an annual challenge where writers aim to complete a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Since joining the online book community over five years back, I have known about NaNoWriMo, the month of November dedicated to writing a novel or a set number of words. So many of my author friends take part in this challenge every year, hoping to make solid progress on, if not finish, writing a book. There is an excitement in the air as plans are made and then the pursuit of the writing itself. If you want more detail about NaNoWriMo, check out Lucy McLaren’s article in The Creator’s Roulette. Today, I am sharing about November Writing Challenge for Book Bloggers, a twist on the traditional novel writing challenge and how I plan to take part in it.
Disclaimer: This is a personal challenge that I am hosting for myself open to anyone who may wish to join. It is inspired by author friends who have dedicated time to writing their stories during the month of November and I want to encourage myself to write more too. It is not affiliated with NaNoWriMo, the organization or any organization for that matter.
November Writing Challenge for Book Bloggers
If you have been following Armed with A Book for a while, you know I adore planning and execution. For at least two years now, I have wanted to take part in NaNoWriMo but not to write a novel. I have wanted to use November purely for writing, an excuse to stop making excuses and write reviews of all the books I have read and haven’t made time for my thoughts to be put into words. This November is unique. I think I can do it. With the baby coming in the new year, I need to spend some time planning and scheduling ahead anyway. So why not use NaNoWriMo to structure my month and make the magic happen?
Here is a look at what is typically tracked by writers in NaNoWriMo and how I will be adjusting these statistics:
| NaNoWriMo | November Writing Challenge for Book Bloggers |
|---|---|
| No. of words written | Total word count for book reviews |
| No. of chapters completed | No. of books reviewed this month |
Tracking word count is a fun way to relate with fellow writers. As a book reviewer, focusing on the number of books reviewed lets me know how much content I have that can potentially be shared to the blog.
Doing this challenge will mean being more intentional about the time for writing and the blog. Since part of the reason to take part in NaNoWriMo for me is to schedule ahead on the blog, my primary writing-sharing space, I will also be keeping track of the number of blog posts I schedule for 2025. Depending on how many reviews end up being blog worthy, I will have a much better idea for the first few months of 2025 when my time is taken by baby and my blog baby will be given less attention.
Other fun things I want to try out at the end of November include some awards! Here are some ideas:
- Book that was pending a review for the longest time
- Book with highest book review word count
- Book with smallest book review word count
- Most Emotionally Challenging Review
Heading into November Writing: The Prep Work
Question: I asked my author friend SK how she approaches the challenge. She said before November, she starts to create notes for herself and often stops the creative writing process altogether, focusing instead on editing her novel. It’s about having a buildup of things she wants to write and ideas to explore with November being the time to take action on them.
Reflection: At the time of writing this article (a week before its live on the blog), I have 14 books pending reviews and another 4 that I would have finished before the end of the month. Of course, accompanying each book is text I highlighted and any notes I took in my journal. Hopefully that’s enough to jog my memory when I settle down to write the review.
Question: I also asked SK if she makes time for writing everyday during November. She said she used to but over the years, she has learned to give herself grace and not write if she is not feeling like it. It’s better to not demand too much of ourselves for something that we want to pursue for ourselves.
Reflection: This October, for what feels like the first time since I learnt I’m pregnant, I’ve been on a good reading binge. NaNoWriMo has a different focus (writing reviews) and I am hoping that I will be able to balance writing with reading to my heart’s content. It’s unrealistic to assume that I will be able to finish all pending reviews but I am curious to see what happens when I set my mind to it.
November Writing Challenge for Book Bloggers – The Plan
I will be sharing a short update on Saturdays (9th, 16th, 23th) on what I accomplished through the week. On November 30th, you can expect a final reflection and celebration of the very first instalment of November Writing Challenge for Book Bloggers.
How you can join me:
- Keep track of the number of words you write and number of books you review during the month of November. Any other writing stats are good too! You can set a minimum goal if you wish to. Alternatively, an intention to observe yourself is a pretty good start for a first-time challenge.
- Share what you did with me. Something as simple as hearing more about your review writing over the week would be very encouraging to me!
- I would also love for my writer friends working on their novels to share their progress in the weekly posts. Let’s celebrate writing together!
Reminders as we head into November
NaNoWriMo advice from author Lucy McLaren still applies to book bloggers for the most part. I have made some minor adjustments for it to cater to us all:
- Focus on making progress and enjoying the writing process.
- Having a mentor or fellow writers for support can be invaluable during and beyond November. Join the weekly check in! I am cheering you on. 🙂
- If you’re struggling with writing one day, don’t force it. Take a break.
- Take time to polish your reviews and reflect on your thoughts before publishing, much like how authors revise their drafts. This does not have to happen during NaNoWriMo though.
- Embrace the journey and enjoy the opportunity to work on book reviews alongside fellow writers.
Thanks for reading! I hope you will follow along in my journey and share what you have been up to for writing and reviewing during the check-ins! 🙂 Bookmark this page for all articles of this series.
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