NaNoWriMo Winner in 2021

Yay! I’m going to take a minute to blow my own horn, shout from the top of the mountain, and conduct a major brag session. I am a NaNoWriMo winner in 2021. This year is significant for me because I didn’t think it would ever happen. I’ve done NaNo for the past six years. Sometimes I posted my daily tally. Sometimes I ignored the NaNoWriMo page altogether. Two years in a row, I joined a local group of people trying to achieve the 50,000 word in November goal. We met at the library. Nobody in my community is interested in doing it these days. Still, I preserved and wrote my November book.

Why it was hard to become a NaNoWriMo winner in 2021

Firstly, I had a hard time getting inspired by a story. The essence of NaNo for me has always been coming up with something new and fresh to write outside of my series and the edits I work on daily. I couldn’t think of a single thing to write about until I became inspired to retell Beauty and the Beast with a New Orleans slant. I had so much fun typing the words for this book. Amazing Buchanan and the Beast isn’t finished, but it is close to becoming a nice romance.

I found this at a junk shop and used it for inspiration.

Secondly, I got very sick with COVID. For weeks I didn’t have the energy to sit at my desk. I almost convinced myself it wasn’t worth the effort this year. The thing is, I believe NaNo is important because of all the creative energy the people who participate generate while doing the process. Call me crazy, but I believe the world needs a release of mass positivity right now.

Final word count on my way to becoming a NaNoWriMo winner in 2021

My final word count tallied at 57,530 for the contest. I will start writing chapter 40 tomorrow. I have a little way to travel with these characters before I type the end. The thing I love most about NaNoWriMo is the only person you compete against is yourself. That means everyone turns out to be a winner even if you don’t reach the 50,000-word goal. The process of putting words onto paper or a computer screen is the only thing that matters.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!