Humans love to engage in challenges. When we’re small, we race down the block or count to ten to see who’s the fastest. As we get older we join sports, form clubs, and enter contests to compete, learn, and grow. Social media has expanded these opportunities, connecting people from all over the world to join in challenges to raise awareness, better ourselves, or have fun and connect with others. The proliferation of TikTok challenges and monthly skill-based events are all symptoms of the same human urge: to connect with others like us and to showcase our skills.

As access to the internet has grown, so have the communities behind popular challenges. No Shave November is one of these, challenging men to grow out their facial hair for the entire month to start a conversation about male cancer. Another well-known event, Inktober, gives artists a prompt list and a goal to improve their craft: one ink drawing for every day of October. Another famous skill-based challenge, one that started twenty-three years ago in a little corner of the internet, is what I want to talk about today. Let’s talk about NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, a challenge held every November that asks writers to put down 50,000 words of a novel between November 1st and November 30th. Last year, 427,653 people registered and participated in the official NaNoWriMo challenge, and, based on the numbers on their website, it’s looking like they could double that number this year. There are plenty of people who join NaNoWriMo in an unofficial capacity as well, committing themselves to a headstart on their novel as the weather begins to turn. NaNoWriMo is a great tool for writers, providing a deadline to help build consistent writing habits and a community where writers can encourage or commiserate about the ups and downs of their creative craft. It’s an awesome challenge, and one I’ve participated in a few times in the past. 

NaNoWriMo is a mere two weeks away, and those considering joining at the last minute may now be making their preparations. If that’s you, or you’re still on the fence, it may be time to take stock of what NaNoWriMo actually looks like and whether you should join in the fun.

There are quite a few people who jump into NaNoWriMo with little preparation thinking, “Well, it’s just typing. How hard could 50,000 words be?” only to become overwhelmed within a week. I’ve been one of those people, and I’m here to tell you NaNoWriMo is not all about drinking whiskey and writing prose. Instead of seeing this challenge as sitting at your computer and writing a New York Times Bestseller, you need to picture it as training for a 5K: hard, slow, steady work that trains your muscles and increases your endurance. You’re going to sweat, you’re going to stink. You’ve got to prepare for the difficult road ahead and stop daydreaming about the finish line.

So, should you join NaNoWriMo? Well, that’s a difficult question to answer. It depends on the amount of time, effort, and love you’re willing to put in. To help you navigate this question, I’ve compiled this list of the most important components of a successful National Novel Writing Month. 

Time

When trying to manage a long-distance goal while running, you typically break the goal into smaller portions, making each day a manageable chunk. The same goes for NaNoWriMo. To write 50,000 words in a month, you’ll have to average about 1,667 words a day, and typing speed varies from person to person. To give you an idea of how long that may take you, the average person writes about 40 words a minute. At 40 words per minute with no breaks and no hesitation, 1,667 words would take you about 42 minutes. Realistically, you’ll be taking breaks to think or stopping to make a cup of tea, so double that time. It could take you upwards of an hour and a half a day, every day, to meet the NaNoWriMo word goal. That’s time you have to carve out solely to write and not be distracted by your phone, the TV, work, or anything else. 

Before committing to NaNoWriMo, consider your current day: do you have time to dedicate about two hours a day to writing? What will you be giving up if you do? These are important questions because if your family life, work, or recharge time suffers, so will you. The point of NaNoWriMo is improvement, fun, and community– you can’t reap those benefits if you’re burnt out or unhappy. 

Self-Discipline

Half the idea behind challenges like NaNoWriMo and Inktober is for artists to get into a consistent habit of practicing their craft. Much like running, the more sporadically you practice, the slower your improvement will be. These challenges encourage habit-forming and give you a deadline for motivation so you can watch your improvement in real-time.

The first few days of any challenge are the easiest. You sit down at the computer, crank out 2,000 words, and feel awesome because, hey, you’re having fun, and you’re even a little ahead! But as the days wear on, it gets harder and harder to sit down at that computer, harder and harder to muster up the will to write. Your brain gets sore the same way your legs get sore after a week of going for a jog every morning. Excuses will bloom like mold spores, each one compounding on the last. “I think I’m coming down with a cold.” “I didn’t get enough sleep last night.” “I’m so far behind, what’s the point?” These are dangerous because the only one responsible for showing up every day is you. Sure, the community can help with this– participating in NaNoWriMo with friends is like having a gym buddy– but ultimately, it’s up to you. 

A big part of maintaining this discipline is your condition before starting. If you write five days out of seven, then sticking to a daily habit won’t be a huge change. If you only sit down to write once or twice a month, you’re going to have a much harder time adjusting to a daily habit. It’s the difference between someone who goes on three-mile walks every day and someone who walks the dog every once in a while; learning to jog is going to be much harder for the dog walker. Don’t discount the amount of effort forming a habit takes when deciding to join NaNoWriMo.

Your Goal

No, not the 50,000-word goal. Your goal. As the other two sections have gone over, NaNoWriMo is both a time commitment and a constant effort. No matter how much you love writing, after day three or four, it will feel like work. Having a personal goal like, “I want to have a manuscript for an agent within a year,” or “I want to finish a story,” helps you keep momentum even when the times get tough because it’s not just about completing NaNoWriMo. Without some sort of personal stake, it’s a lot easier to drop the challenge when it becomes too difficult.

Think of it this way: The best way to convince yourself to train for a 5k is to sign up for one. It gives you a measurable goal, a deadline, and a commitment to showing up and running the day of the race. NaNoWriMo asks you to write 50,000 words, which is also measurable and has a deadline but has no commitment for showing up. You could write all those words and shove them in a drawer, or you could write a single paragraph and give up. No one would know either way. You need to have a reason to show up, to put your writing in someone’s hands (even if they’re your own), to stay motivated. 

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If you’ve read this through and are now wavering on whether you should join NaNoWriMo, that’s okay. Not joining doesn’t make you any less of a writer! National Novel Writing Month is a challenge, and it’s okay to recognize you’re not ready for something of that difficulty. It’s the first step in finding out what you are up for. 

Not everyone can go from having zero jogging experience to being ready to run a 5K in a month; the same goes for NaNoWriMo. Some people take months or years before they can run a full 5K. That doesn’t mean they’re not making progress or have failed, it only means their progress looks a little different. Don’t feel pressured to join NaNoWriMo or, if you do, don’t feel like you have to meet the 50,000-word goal. Any progress is good progress. If you join and only meet half the goal, that’s still 25,000 words. Would you have done that otherwise? Would you have grown from not trying at all? No! So don’t feel bad about not finishing the challenge or recognizing you’re not ready for it yet. NaNoWriMo will be there next year, and your ability to write is with you all year round. 

No matter what you choose to do, join or not join, it’s a good reminder to set realistic expectations for yourself. Joining a challenge is easy; following through is hard. With a supportive community, tools for success, and a little self-reflection, you’ll be able to tackle any challenge that comes your way.