When I decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month - aka NaNoWriMo
The annual National Novel Writing Month, or "NaNoWriMo," challenges participants to finish a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. Chris Baty and a group of friends started the event in Northern California's Bay Area in 1999, and it has since expanded to become a global phenomenon with hundreds of thousands of participants. Note that the word goal can be modified and still be affiliated with the challenge.
NaNoWriMo 2022 participation banner
Although I had never participated in NaNo before, at least not seriously, I had experience with the challenge thanks to participating in the July Camp NaNoWriMo in 2020. The Camp is a preparation for the November challenge, and one can choose what goal to set. There are different choices between editing, writing, and hours spent writing.
I chose to work on a new project I created in 2019 but never had a chance to start writing. It was a New Adult action mystery novel titled Once Upon the Devil (OUtD), and I was really excited to start working on it. I had never written such a novel before as my previous works were in the YA dramatic or poetry and short stories genre. But it was nice to set a new challenge for me and explore something new. Being older meant having more experience in life and writing, which was a perfect way to grow.
After setting a 20'000 word goal and having some struggles meeting the daily quota, I reached the goal of 20'029 on the last day! What a ride it was, and what an amazing feeling to accomplish that.
So, after some thought, I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo this year! I had and still have a lot on my plate because of university, but I felt like this was a good distraction. Plus, it was time to finish Once Upon the Devil. I've been coming back to this book a few times in the past years but never was able to really continue it besides editing here and there. I had written approximately six chapters and the character info sheets, but the story was far from done.
Therefore I decided to finally finish it now during NaNo with a goal of 30'000 words for a total of 50k+ words at the end of it. I know it's not the pre-set 50'000 word goal, but knowing myself, I'd rather do less and achieve it rather than overestimate and fail.🥲
The writing is going well, and I often meet or surpass the daily word count quota. The novel is proceeding really well, and the plot seems to flow without any obstacles (yet). It really felt nice coming back to this book and being able to continue writing as if no time had passed by since the start. What a thrill.
My overall progress on OUtD before the daily update progress on the 20th of November
A bit about Once Upon the Devil - Summary & more
What can you expect from Once Upon the Devil?
A NA action/mystery with
a dose of good humour
impaired vision representation
slow burn
enemies to lovers
a failed plan
sneaky little thief prevails
and much more!
“Sometimes, even the villains of the stories have to win. This time, they do, but not without a few twists.”
Summary
Adara is an orphan girl that has lived her whole life stealing things from the rich to give to the poor, and in the years, has grown to be famous in the dark corners of the streets. If someone wants something impossible to get, she’s the one to hit up and give the task to, but not without paying a high sum of money. After all, an experience like hers is hard to have, especially when the risks are too many to count.
Kai Anderson is one of the heirs in a family made of generations of entrepreneurs that have built such a successful empire that they’ve become millionaires over a short span of time compared to others. Being the youngest is not always the easiest, especially with two siblings who constantly strive in their lives and studies, and parents expect no less of you, leaving no place for errors. Not even when you’re blind.
One day Adara receives one of the highest-paying tasks of her whole life. She has to steal one of the most wanted and valuables rare coins collections of all times owned by none other than the Anderson family – guarded in their mansion. How could she refuse such an offer? She architects a simple plan: sneak into their house while the family is occupied at the Gala held at their new hotel. Everything is calculated, not even a minimal detail is left behind. Or so she thought.
Kai doesn’t like crowds very much, especially if it’s an important event such as the Gala. There are too many chances to embarrass himself and his family, which would fuel another argument. Fortunately for him, things didn’t go as his parents planned, and the young man stays at home, enjoying a peaceful evening alone.
So, what will happen when Adara discovers that Kai didn’t actually go to the Gala and the empty mansion isn’t as empty as she anticipated? Will his presence hinder her mission’s success, or will her experience help her get away unnoticed?
Inkitt contest
I also entered the InkittxNaNo writing contest, as this year, Inkitt is an official sponsor of NaNoWriMo, and they are hosting an exciting contest to inspire writers to take part in the challenge.
Novels must be submitted by November 30th for the chance to win cash prizes, social media spotlights, and more! Out of all contest participants, the algorithm will select three winners. As an exciting bonus, participants who complete NaNoWriMo and write 50,000 words will be eligible for a Winner's contest with even more amazing prizes.
There are daily updates happening on Inkitt for OUtD as the book is being written. If the blurb and snippets have piqued your interest, be sure to check it out!💕
Go ahead and click the button! If you enjoy the book, please consider leaving some feedback, such as likes, comments and a review! It'll help a lot for the contest.
Fingers crossed for the end
Embarking on the NaNoWriMo experience has been a fun ride until now, and I can't wait to reach that goal and get the winner badge! I'll make a new blog post once I finish the challenge and let you know what's to come.
Don't forget to check out my socials for updates on writing progress, promotions and all bookworm stuff!