In October-November 2017, I will be am facing my A Levels. Even now as this post is published, I’m probably in an examination room. But me being me, it’s not enough that I’m in the busiest and most critical moment of my high school life, it’s not enough that I’m supposed to be applying to universities. So hey, why not join NaNo, right?

But I do know my limits, I think, which is why I’m not necessarily aiming for 50k words this year. Not that I hit that milestone last year or the year before anyway. Haha.

Adding to my own misery is not solely the reason behind my participation in NaNo. Despite falling short at around 30k words last year (oh yes, I was in the middle of AS exams last November), I know I had tons of fun. I genuinely enjoyed the community and the online forums during NaNo. It was so easy (not really, no) to get a motivation boost and know that I was not the only one embarking on a seemingly silly journey. But NaNoWriMo is anything but silly. When else will I get the chance to immerse in such a creative mood with people who love writing? I just don’t want to miss out this year.

So instead of forcing myself to write 1,667 words each day with an exam looming the next day, I’ve decided that hitting the 50k is not the priority. Here are my goals:

• Write everyday. 100 words, 1,667, 10k or 10. As long as I hit the keyboard and engage with the world of my novel each day in November, it doesn’t matter if a line is all I write.
• Progress the plot. Last year, my plot went in circles, the characters went nowhere and I had no idea what was happening. In short, it was disastrous. I’m working on an outline this October, so hopefully come November I won’t be at lost.
• Finish the damned novel. I guess this is beyond NaNo, but I know even if I reach 50k, I’ll still be a long way from the final chapter, the final scene. I want to finally finish a novel, not just write a few chapters and toy with a premise for months, as I’ve been doing all my life.

Then again, joining NaNo is ultimately a choice I’ve personally made, so I must always remember why I chose to do it in the first place. And who am I to say that I definitely won’t hit 50k by November 30th? My last exam is on the 15th of the month, and it just might be possible that I’ll be spitting out 3,000 words each day for the last half of the month.

So, if you’re familiar with NaNo, are you in it this year?

To find out more about this event, click here.

As to check out my NaNo account (not that you might want to, but just in case), click here.