NaNoWriMo for Family History

NaNoWriMo celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

For those who may question this robotic-sounding name, let me explain.

The acronym stands for NAtional - NOvel - WRiting - MOnth. The idea is to encourage and challenge those who say they want to write a book "someday" to sit down and write.

NaNoWriMo is the brainchild of Christ Baty. After doing some informal research (skimming classics such as The Great Gatsby, Fahrenheit 451, and Brave New World), Baty calculated 50,000 words as the minimum length for a novel. 

But Baty also knew a goal without a deadline is ineffective. So he challenged himself (and other participants) to write those 50,000 words over the course of 30 days. 

November is the official novel writing month.

I have participated in NaNoWriMo three times over the past ten years. For some reason, I do well with this kind of online challenge. I am more accountable to my goals, even though there is no penalty for failure nor medal for success. If I know others are working toward similar objectives, I'm motivated to stay the course.

This year, however, I do not plan to write 50,000 words. And I am not working on a novel.

Here's how I plan to use NaNoWriMo for writing family history.

 A few weeks ago, I briefly discussed my idea for Patchwork Memoir: marry one photo with one essay to create a narrative "block" ... Write enough blocks to create a tapestry of life.

I am dedicated to telling our family history for future generations. but this can be a daunting task. I believe Patchwork Memoir can keep the project manageable for the writer - and enjoyable for the reader. Each story is limited to one side of a page or approximately 400 words. 

My plan for NaNoWriMo 2020 is to write one Patchwork Memoir a day.

Yes, I'm bending the rules. I won't be writing fiction. I will write fewer than 15,000 words. But this is a way to use the program to help achieve personal goals.

At the end of the month, I will have thirty stories to share with family over the holidays. And I will be motivated to continue the process in 2021.

I think Chris Baty would approve.

Would anyone else care to join me in this family history writing challenge?