Tackling a November Writing Challenge? Here’s What You Need to Know

It’s that time of year again! Brush off your laptops and pick up your pencils, because this is the month where many writers challenge ourselves to write the first draft of a novel in a single month.

The writing community has long considered November as novel-writing month because of the legacy of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). While the original organisation may be gone, writers worldwide still embrace the annual tradition.

The challenge is simple but ambitious: write a 50,000-word draft of a novel in a single month. What started as a small writing challenge among friends evolved into a global phenomenon, with writers everywhere using November as their motivation to finally write that book.

What was National Novel Writing Month?

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, began in 1999 when Chris Baty and a handful of his writing friends set themselves a bold challenge: write a novel in just one month. This simple idea resonated with writers worldwide, and over two decades, it grew from those initial participants to hundreds of thousands of annual writers worldwide.

While the organisation no longer exists, the challenge lives on. It’s still an important month in the writing community, with writers gathering in online spaces, social media groups, and local meetups to support each other. The tradition lives on with writers sharing word counts, offering encouragement, and celebrating each other’s victories across various platforms. We even support writers’ November writing challenge with a dedicated goal card on the Novlr dashboard, helping more writers achieve their novel-writing dreams.

What is the challenge?

The traditional November challenge has the following rules:

1. Writing starts at 12:00 a.m. on November 1 and ends 11:59:59 p.m. on November 30, local time.
2. No one is allowed to start early.
3. Novels must reach a minimum of 50,000 words before the end of November in order to “win” (of either a complete novel of 50,000 words or the first 50,000 words of a novel).
4. Planning and extensive notes in advance are permitted, but no material written before the November 1 start date can go into the body of the novel.
5. Participants’ novels can be on any theme, genre of fiction, and in any language.

With all that said, however, there is no reason you need to stick to these rules. They’re the traditional challenge rules, but you can absolutely set your own.

50,000 words in 30 days isn’t achievable for everyone, and you might also want to spend the time and the shared community spirit working on an existing project. I know many writers who use the month to work at their own pace and on their own projects. That is absolutely valid, and the writing community is here to support you!

The best advice I can give is to use the challenge for the push it gives you to actually get writing. If sticking to the rules gets you there, then that’s great. But if not, don’t be afraid to change it up to suit your writing journey.

Writers all have their own unique styles and methods. It’s up to you to figure out what yours will be. If deadlines and targeted word counts are helpful to you, that’s perfect. However, you can also use the November challenge as a framework and adjust it to fit.

Three tips to get ready for the challenge

No matter how you decide to tackle the challenge, if you want to use this time for dedicated writing, then you’ll need some things in place. I’m going to outline what works for the challenge as it’s traditionally been done, but you can adjust this to suit your own goals.

1. Sort out your calendar

50,000 words is quite a lot for thirty days of work, particularly if you have other responsibilities that take up a lot of time. You will need to average 1667 words per day, so it is important that you manage your time and think realistically about when you can commit to writing.

Be reasonable in what you set yourself to do. If you have days or weekends off, you might be able to bang out a sizeable chunk of your word count. However, on a short bus or train ride somewhere, you might only manage a hundred words or so. There’s nothing more disheartening than setting an unrealistic word count and failing to meet it.

2. Outline your plot

Attempting to generate a plot as you write might make you lose the plot. Take it from someone who consistently avoids planning – it rarely works out. Character planning for example: I can spend a good couple of hours on baby name sites alone. What a waste of time and words! Coming up with different character profiles and quirks beforehand will save you a whole host of time when November finally comes.

3. Get ready to go unedited

Yes, I did just say what you thought I said. The whole point of the November challenge is to produce a large quantity of writing, a novel, that you can later refine into your masterpiece. It’s about getting the words down on the page.

However, if you know that you’re particularly bad at nitpicking (join the club), it may be good to have a few practice attempts at free-writing before November begins.

Free writing is an exercise where you sit down for an allotted amount of time, anywhere between five minutes and an hour, and just write. This writing can be focused, i.e. on a specific object or character, or you can simply let your thoughts meander and go where the mood takes you. The only caveat is that you aren’t allowed to edit the work. When it’s written, it’s written. 

You can also try the free Introduction to Fast Drafting course from Writing Mastery Academy we have in the Novlr Academy! It’s a great primer on how you can write without editing in a way that also respects any changes you want to make as you write.

Ready to Write?

The November writing challenge can seem daunting at first glance, but remember: every published novel started with a first draft. Whether you’re for the traditional 50,000 words or set your own goals, the most important thing is to write.

The writing community that gathers each November is incredibly supportive and understanding. Whether you write 50,000 words or 5,000, you’ll be closer to your goal than when you started. So prepare your outline, clear your schedule, and get ready to write! Your novel is waiting to be written.