Is it possible to complete a novel in one month?

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell

If you’ve managed this amazing feat, I’m impressed.

But not me, I break out in a sweat just thinking about writing a novel from beginning to end in thirty days. 

Emails are pouring in for NaNoWriMo. Have you signed up?

Well, it’s that time of year, and the deadline is fast approaching. Almost time to start your engines, I mean computers.

If you decide to go for it, here are a few great tips from Bridget at Now Novel. The big takeaway from Bridget’s post is to plan, prepare and plan some more before you start writing.

Guess this is where I mess up. I’m a bit of a crossover between pantser and plotter, using a little of both to write a story, and planning is not one of my strengths. So for you super organized writer, good luck, and Godspeed.

Writing a novel in a month: 10 tips for plotters and pantsers

But, if you’re like me and hives appear with the arrival of each email pressuring you to write 50,000 words in thirty days, check out the following post and feel better about deleting those pesky emails.

Better yet, DON’T write that novel by Laura Miller

Laura makes some valid points. This is not for everyone. And if you’re worried about spewing out 50,000 words of crap, passing on NaNoWriMo might be the best decision. For me, I’m gonna go the way of the turtle. Slow and steady wins the race.

What about you?

Are you signing up or sitting out this year’s NaNoWriMo?

Have you participated in a previous NaNoWriMo? How’d it go?

Do you think it’s possible to write 50,000 words in 30 days?

Leave a comment, we’d all like to know your thoughts on NaNoWriMo.

Also, if you can please stop by my other locations and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on. 

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31 thoughts on “Is it possible to complete a novel in one month?”

  2. Lots of planning needed for Nanowrimo which I confess am not that good at! Keep meaning to join up but fear I will fail miserably by procrastination alone. Reblogged this, such good tips. 🙂 Good luck to everyone!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Pingback: Is it possible to complete a novel in one month? – Allison D. Reid

  5. So far I’ve only taken baby steps by participating in Camp NaNoWriMo, but this year I’m going for it! Even though the thought of writing 50,000 words in a month is paralyzingly terrifying, I’m so behind on my current WIP that I NEED to do this. Even if I don’t make 50K, if I take this challenge seriously, I’ll at least have made some significant progress, and that’s better than not trying at all. It’s not about “winning” or patches for me–it’s good motivation to set aside other distractions and just write for a month. We’ll see how I do. Ask me how I feel about it again on December 1st. 🙂

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  6. I think it’s possible to write a novel in a month’s time but the person would have to be proficient at typing and absolutely love pressure put on him or her. I definitely don’t fit the criteria for such an activity.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m proficient at typing. At one time in my life I could type 80+ a minute on an old typewriter. Sigh, age has slowed that down too. However, coordinating my skill with my mind is a different thing. LOL

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Pingback: A Challenge Too Far? NaNoWriMo …Will it Bring Out the Pantser in You? – TESSA BARRIE'S LOST BLOGS

  8. Greetings from Jersey, Channel Islands. I have reblogged Is it possible to complete a novel in one month? @ https://tessabarrielostblogs.com. Thanks for sharing. For me, NaNoWriMo is a terrifying concept. I am currently editing rewrite number 5 of my (first) novel-in-progress, which I started in June 2015. But, thinking about it … 2000 words a day is not a challenge too far … but … to string them all together in 50,000 coherent words … in one month …? Nah … maybe I’ll wait until next year …

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I am taking on the challenge this year. I started last year and didn’t do the fifty thousand but, I learned a lot trying to and that was important to me. plus, it was fun and helped me sit down and write every day which is something I’ve stuck to. xxx

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I only did NaNoWriMo once, my first year of college. Was the result a steaming pile because I had never written a full novel before? Yes, but it gave me the confidence that I COULD write a novel, that becoming an author wasn’t a long shot after all.
    In that way, NaNo can be important and useful for some writers.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I signed up – first time. I’ve had the same thoughts as you. It seems intimidating, and I’m also a mix of pantser and planner. However, I already had a series of books I’ve been jotting down ideas/outlines for – so I’m going to tackle book 1 for NaNo and see how it goes. I think you should give it a try. While many say plan, NaNo says the whole purpose is to just write and let the waters flow freely. Write, no editing, no overthinking it. Even if it turns out to be crap, at least you might have a skeleton of a book to work with after it’s all done.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. You can if you don’t care about being a sloppy pile of words. You’ll have to work extra hard on the second draft.

    This is why I don’t like Nanowrimo. Writing shouldn’t be a race for arbitrary awards or “patches”. Everything is done in its own time. Your work suffers if you force it.

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