Lessons Learned from NaNoWriMo 2020

When I first entertained the idea of participating in NaNoWriMo this year, I knew my project did not conform to the official rules. 

• I was not writing a novel. 
• I had no plans to write 50,000 words. 

Instead, my focus for each day in November was to write one 500-word essay. That way, I would have thirty family stories to share with relatives over the holidays.

In theory, this was a fine plan. My eighteen-months of genealogical research, coupled with old family narratives told around the dining room table, provided ample information for more than thirty stories. My recent retiree status provided plenty of free time to write.  Drafting 500 words-a-day is not a stretch for me. I fully expected to "win" this year's challenge. 

But I discovered writing family history is not a linear progression. For every one confirmed fact, three more questions arise. That translates into hours more research using a variety of sources.

What I thought would be one complete story resulted in a very rough draft. The 500-word essay quickly increased to 1,500 words. The story expanded beyond its original intent. This required reorganizing the essay into two (or three) separate works, each with its own specific focus. 

Consequently, after thirty days of writing, I only have four completed blog posts. And if you followed this series, each post raised more questions to investigate.

At first blush, I seem no closer to writing my family history than I was a month ago. But that's not entirely true.

Had I never put pen to paper, I wouldn't recognize the follow-up questions. It is the missing details from these questions that will help bring my ancestors to life. 

Writing is a process. And this is especially true when writing family history. It involves research that sometimes leads to dead ends. It raises questions that sometimes go unanswered. It is a constant two steps forward and one step back. But all of it is progress.

So while I did not achieve my modest writing goal this month, I did succeed.

"There is no such thing as failure, only learning experiences."

Here's what I learned from NaNoWriMo 2020:

• The biggest hurdle to writing is sitting down at the keyboard.
• First drafts are imperfect. They are supposed to reveal gaps in the storyline. They are supposed to raise questions. First drafts are NEVER meant to stand for the final copy. 
• Writing is a process. And each unique project follows its own process. There is no one-size-fits-all. Don't be so rigid. Simply enjoy the journey.
• Challenges motivate. But we must focus on the purpose and not the outcome. If I focus on writing a family history for the next generation (my purpose) ... eventually, the word count will catch up, and I will finish the book.
• Challenges inspire. While we can't maintain the grueling pace of targeted challenges, we can continue the practice. Writing a family history is more than drafting a series of 500-word essays. Writing also involves genealogy research for facts; newspaper research for context; scanning photos for visual clues; journaling about the past to uncover forgotten memories. ALL of this is part of the writing process. A little bit each day (or each week) will take me closer to the goal. 

For those of you writing your family history, what lessons have you learned that you can pass along?

For those who think about writing your family history but have yet to begin, what is holding back? Perhaps we can encourage one another on this important work.