Can I Write a Novel in One Month?

In March of 2025, NaNoWriMo announced it would be shutting down as an organization. The decision came after two community scandals damaged public support. Though the controversies surrounding the organization are serious, the original NaNoWriMo challenge to write a novel in one month is still appealing to me.

I’ve never participated in NaNoWriMo before, so I thought I’d give it a try this year. I know, the year I had a baby, I want to try and slam 50,000 words into my keyboard in one month? Yes. I may be out of my mind, but I’m really excited about the prospect, and I think it will be fun.

Quick Recap: What Are the Rules?

1. As I understand it, to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge, an author has to write 50,000 words in November. 

2. I would consider it cheating if AI were used to generate any content (though using it for research or brainstorming is fine).

3. No editing or rewriting allowed. The purpose of the challenge is to write a first draft quickly.

What Book Will I Be Writing?

Plot Twisters is a middle-grade paranormal fantasy story that explores what would happen if the characters in a novel figure out that they are in a book. The story takes place in a world based on the town I grew up in, so I’ll be putting a lot of personal details into this one.

What Have I Done to Prepare?

Maybe some people can sit down and write an entire story with only an idea, but I can’t. I am a serious plotter.

In prepping for National Novel-Writing Month, I created a fully fleshed-out outline with details about what’s going to happen in each chapter. I also did a lot of world-building and character workups. I even calculated how many words I need to write every day if I want to complete the challenge. Because I’ll be taking weekends off, I’ll need to write 2,381 words every day.

What’s the Plan?

My baby is nine months old. He’s crawling around everywhere, getting into everything. He takes a lot of my attention. Sometimes, I find it hard to fit a shower into my day, let alone several hours of writing time. How am I going to complete this novel-in-one-month challenge?

1. Create Dedicated Writing Time: I’ve already set aside some time in the early morning to write. It works pretty well, assuming I have slept well the night before and that my son sleeps until 7:30 like he normally does.

2. Write During Free Time: Whenever my baby is sleeping, I’ll need to be writing. I will need to make some sacrifices. Maybe I won’t get as much sleep some days. Or maybe, I’ll have to say no to family engagements (RIP Thanksgiving).

3. Use Alternate Writing Methods: I’ve never tried writing with speech-to-text before, but I might have to give it a spin to hit that word count every day. That should be a more feasible way to write while my son is awake.

4. Plan Ahead for the Next Scene: Instead of listening to a podcast or to music when I have quiet moments during the day, I’ll need to get into the headspace for the next scene I need to write. That will make the actual drafting flow better.

5. Asking for Help: Even if I write with every spare second I have, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it. Luckily, I live with my parents, and my in-laws are not far. Hopefully, they’ll be willing to help take care of my son some of the days so that I can reach this goal.

How Can You Show Your Support?

I’m going to need some cheerleaders. If you want to help, I would love, love, love you to read the first chapter of The Hole in the Sky, which I am currently querying. Leave a comment, or share it with a friend. Seeing your engagement will give me confidence in my writing ability, making it that much easier to get those 2381 words in every day.