The NaNoWriMo Alternative: How To Create a Writing Habit Without Burning Out

I did NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2017 when I successfully drafted my book, Unfussy Life. I edited it again a year later and published it 4.5 years after that NaNoWriMo draft. And then, in 2021, I used NaNoWriMo to draft my book on writing — title to be determined. 

While the writing challenge that happens each November is intended for those writing a piece of fiction, I’ve always been a fan of using the challenge to write whatever I wanted. For me, that was nonfiction. I’ve also used the November daily writing habit to draft a big blog series and write a bunch of new website copy.

There’s something magical about surrounding yourself with people rolling up their sleeves and putting their words on a page for a big challenge, all in the name of creativity. You can’t help but want to do the same. Everyone lifts each other up and encourages each other. Just one reason why my writing community is such a special place. 

Sure, I “won” NaNoWriMo every time as I crossed the 50,000-word finish line.

😫 There was just one big problem — every time I finished, I was fucking exhausted. 

After pumping out at least 1,667 words every day for a month — I fell into the kind of tiredness that would put most people in burnout. I have a ton of creative energy, so burnout has never really been a story for me, but I’d still want to take at least a month off from writing before jumping back in to play with edits.

It’s a significant effort to write 1,667 words a day. While running a growing copywriting and coaching business with a full client load, staying creative, writing and editing for others, looking after myself with good food and movement, and driving my kids around so they can live their best lives. 

My 50,000-word draft, by the way, was a complete SFD (shitty first draft) that required many edits and at least one complete rewrite. This brings up something else I hear among the writing community. The problem with cramming 50,000 words into 30 days is that most of the writing is junk. 

NaNoWriMo-style challenges focus on quantity — not quality.

That quality problem may be fine for many creatives. Thanks to NaNoWriMo, I wrote my books. I got it done. And only by taking action did I see there could be another, gentler way to get to the finish line — whether the finish line is a writing habit or 50,000 words.

The time it took me to draft my most recent book was insignificant compared to my first book. I hit my word count goal in under an hour every day while writing with my community — proving that just about anyone can find the time to write a book. Revisions, which come later, take much more time and energy.

The history of NaNoWriMo

The annual writing event began in July 1999 as a writing challenge where partakers submitted their results for verification. Created by writer Chris Baty from the San Francisco area, he decided to wrangle 21 of his friends, and if they wrote 50,000 words or more, they’d earn the title “winner.” In that inaugural year, only 6 of the 21 writers hit the goal. 

The following year, the challenge was moved from July to November “to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather.” This is, of course, relative to where you live and your definition of “miserable weather.”

You don’t have to wait for November to write your book, either. There are two additional challenges throughout the year — April and July — deemed “Camp NaNoWriMo,” where you can choose any word count goal.

Today, participants can track their own progress on the NaNoWriMo website.

NaNoWriMo is now a donation-powered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes stories matter. They want to make the world a better, more creative place. Totally with them there. Their programs also support writing fluency and education and hosts more than a million writers. They’re a big deal in the writing world.

Craving a more balanced, feminine, and wild approach to writing.

Learning about the moon and menstrual cycles several years ago was an aha moment. A woman’s energy isn’t the same every day, just like the moon. 

When my naturopathic doctor showed me a picture of the male hormone cycle compared with the female hormone cycle, it clicked. 

The masculine hormones are the same every day (barring any health issues). The masculine is the sun — showing up with the same energy at the same times of day every 24-hour cycle. 

Feminine hormones, however, vary over an average 28-day cycle — just like the moon varies over her reliable 29.5-day cycle. 

Our energy is different at every stage of the menstrual cycle, which is why, if you're a menstruating female and you’ve participated (or attempted to) in a NaNoWriMo challenge, you might have found the words flowed some days and others, you were too tired to lift a pen. Or, maybe you noticed you had too much energy to sit your butt down and write, or you were simply unsure about what to say and feeling the need to go inward. 

Whatever you were feeling each day at the page, it’s normal and okay to feel different each day. When we show up to the page and every day is different than the day before, it’s easy to judge ourselves. We wish we could be that fast and flowy writer every day when really, that’s just not how we’re built.

In the past few years, I’ve hosted a NaNoWriMo challenge inside my writing community. We had a few “rules” every time: 

• Choose your own word count goal.

• Or, instead of a word count goal, choose a writing streak goal — like writing for 15 days out of the month.

• Write whatever the hell you want — a book, blogs, website copy, podcast notes, a Ted talk, or a combination of items.

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to get people into a consistent writing habit. But instead of getting creatives into a habit, I see it burning people out. I've seen my clients quit halfway through, not start at all, keep a sporadic schedule, and not create that new writing routine that they so craved. 

I see NaNoWriMo leaving many people feeling like failures. But really, it’s not their fault. The push energy isn’t for everyone.

NaNoWriMo is masculine in its energy. I propose a freer approach that incorporates masculine AND feminine (we need both).

Join the next Finding Flow experience, where you’ll redefine your relationship with writing in 28 days.