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30 days writing challenge12/18/2023 In fact, any setback can cause an aspiring author to hang up his writing hat for good.Īnd that brings this story to the present.Īs a Certified High Performance Coach and transformational coach, I want to help writers and authors succeed long term…not just for a month. Being a Writer and Authorįailing at such a month-long writing event can impact a writer for years-even forever. In general, the inability to complete the challenge makes them feel lousy about themselves. But, if participants fail to finish writing a book in 30 days, their participation has the opposite effect and lowers their confidence level. Events like NaNoWriMo and the WNFIN Challenge are meant to increase productivity and confidence, and they do…if the participating writers succeed. I could see how starting and quitting-rather than finishing-a nonfiction book writing challenge was harmful to an aspiring writer’s or author’s confidence and self-esteem levels. That discouraged them from trying again at another time during the year, the next November…or ever. They would start the WNFIN Challenge strong and then, as Thanksgiving Day got closer, peter out and quit. Other writers would bemoan the fact that November was not the greatest month for a challenge for them either. Thanksgiving holiday, but I often travel to Germany that month. Plus, at least for me, November is a lousy month to participate in (or run) a writing challenge. The event took too much of my time and energy even when I pared it back to just a semblance of its original self. Honestly, I never got much writing done in November-blog posts and emails, yes…book manuscripts, no. I knew there were better ways to consistently write-or start and complete a nonfiction project-than with a 30-day writing contest or challenge. Yet, others felt discouraged and disappointed in themselves. Some of those who didn’t complete the challenge were happy with what they accomplished. I would receive grateful emails afterward from writers who finished a book…finally…by participating in the WNFIN Challenge. Some writers adored it and accomplished a lot. I’ve considered shutting down the challenge for several years now. Yet, most got something out of their efforts to start and finish a work of nonfiction in a month. While people joined WNFIN from all over the world, the challenge didn’t attract thousands of participants-more like hundreds. Even when I sold coaching programs or a summit during the event, the income generated barely covered my expenses, time, or effort. I started the event simply to give myself and other nonfiction writers a legit challenge of their own while novelists were doing NaNoWriMo. (Learn more about the history of this event here.) I’ve run it every year since in one form or another. The year after I participated in NaNoWriMo, I gave birth to the Write Nonfiction in November (WNFIN) Challenge, aka National Nonfiction Writing Month (NaNonFiWriMo). In fact, starting and not finishing your manuscript during such an event ultimately might stop you from writing your book.īefore I take this subject further, let me provide a little more backstory. Since I’m not that different from you, I am confident you can do the same-even without a book-in-a-month challenge or contest to motivate you. I know I can write a book quickly any time I choose to do so. Those identities fueled everything from my mindset to my habits making it much easier to write a book. How did I accomplish this feat? I identified as a writer and author. Yet, I completed these manuscripts 30 to 90 days each time. In the nine years that followed, I wrote three traditionally published nonfiction books and four self-published ebooks…all without a 30-day writing contest to motivate me. Probably a larger number of participants “lost.” In other words, according to NaNoWriMo rules, I “won”-along with many other writers. I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in 2005 and completed a 33,00-word novel in a month. Powering through is not the answer, but choosing to be a writer and author is. Plus, the once-per-year push to write consistently and productively for 30 days isn’t enough to help a you develop a writing habit or the confidence to publish your work. On the other hand, failing at this endeavor can have a long-lasting negative effect. The positive impact of succeeding can be great. For many, this is a once-per-year chance to be a productive writer and make time to finish a manuscript. For writers, November is all about participating in events that challenge them to write a book in a month.
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