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!

Entry 346: A Good Day
Keeping a journal has never been one of my strongest pursuits. I …
The risk
In high school, I had a young teacher straight out of college. …
Entry 345: Sticker Shock at the Grocery Store
Keeping a journal has never been one of my strongest pursuits. I …
What I Learned from Participating in NaNoWriMo #9
I started participating in NaNoWriMo in 2014 because of a dare. Someone …

Published by henhouselady

I am the author of Saving the Hen House. I didn't know when I started it would turn into a series. I love to ride motorcycles, the blues, my family, and going on adventures. This old hen rocks.

20 thoughts on “NaNoWriMo Winner in 2021

  1. Well done! Particularly with being sick along the way. I might try this next year – as you say, the creative energy it would inspire would certainly be a kick in the writing pants.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d