Why November is a Bad Month for Writing 50K

Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

November is a crappy month for National Novel Writing Month. There, I said it. Add me to the list of writers complaining on the Interwebs.

Please hear me out, though.

A lot of writers (at least those based in the U.S.) complain about NaNoWriMo being in November because of Thanksgiving. Many people travel to see friends/family and, for some, this holiday is a much-needed opportunity to rest and express gratitude by spending time with loved ones.

Opponents of the November-Stinks-Because-of-Thanksgiving camp say there will always be something going on to keep you from writing. Life will always get in the way. Stop making excuses. Get to work! I agree with these people wholeheartedly.

I’m a firm believer in writing often, establishing routines, and doing the work, one day at a time.

However, there’s one thing that often goes unacknowledged by these well-meaning motivators when they’re scolding NaNo-in-November-Naysayers. It has nothing to do with life, generally, and everything to do with life, specifically, in the month of November.

4:55 a.m.

That’s what time I need to wake up if I want my creative brain to do any work on my novel. That’s the hour I’ve trained myself to automatically rise and dutifully slump to the coffee machine before settling in at my desk. After months of fighting the alarm clock and the voices in my head that start talking before I even open my eyes, waking at 4:55 is my habit. For me, habit is the only surefire way to win my daily battle with Resistance.

And that’s why November is a bad month for National Novel Writing Month.

Not because of the miserable travel or the Black Friday hours at Target or the racist uncle who took the last drop of gravy he doesn’t know is actually vegan or the abundance of tryptophan armchair naps.

November is a bad month for writing 50K because November is when Daylight Saving Time ends.

November sweeps in like a thief in the night and steals a precious hour of my writing time. And, if you’re a morning creator who has little kids, November probably took an hour of your creative life away, too.

If you care for small children, you know what I’m talking about here. You know that when America turns the clocks back a full hour, the youngest children don’t care about the “extra hour” that’s supposed to be used for sleep.

They wake up at their normally scheduled time, digital display notwithstanding.

And they demand juice and breakfast and imaginary play and to know the purpose of life (seriously, my three year old asked me this before 7 a.m. this week).

Sure, it’s a little bit lighter in the morning now. But who cares?

I like writing in the dark. I like lighting my candle and turning on my computer and desk lamp with the knowledge that my six and three year old will sleep for at least two more hours. I’ve fought hard for my two, solid hours of morning writing time. Five to seven is my special, sacred time.

And then November, she comes, and she takes it away.

Yes, there’s always something going on that makes it hard to write. But my routine is my coping mechanism and my tool to fight Resistance. Without my routine I’m a rookie once again, tentatively climbing into the ring with willpower and caffeine. And I guess these things will have to do until all of the circadian rhythms in my home align once again.

Most likely, come December.