4 NaNoWriMo Novels You Should Read When It’s Over.

Now that NaNoWriMo is slowly coming to its end, I’m sure many people are feeling accomplished or disheartened. Whether or not you have 50’000 words by next week, you should be able to still congratulate you’re self on the words you have written.

But now what? What do you do with all this word vomit that makes you cringe a little when you reread it? It’s bad. It’s filled with spelling mistakes. There are bigger plot howls than there are pot howls in the street. It’s terrible right? No one will want to read this. Why bother even starting the editing process? If you won’t spend money on it, why would anyone else?

Well before you let the self-doubt seep in and size control, making you banish all that heard work you put in over this month. Take a breather. NaNoWriMo can work out for you if you give it a chance. It could be something amazing.

Don’t take my word for it, but why don’t you give this four bestselling NaNoWriMo Novels a read? If these four authors can do it, so can you.

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Now I have already spoken about Fangirl. This is one of my most favourite books

of all time. It’s about our fellow overly anxious, aspiring writer Cath who is attending college for the first time and navigating the increasingly more grown-up world of a more socially challenged perspective of a fanfic writer. It’s a great read. If you need more convincing, please go read my review.

But did you also know that author Rainbow Rowell didn’t think NaNoWriMo was for her? She thought to be more for younger, newer authors who needed some motivation to finish their books. Rowell herself had already published 2 books, so she didn’t think it would change much for her. However, she reports in her pep talk for the NaNoWriMo website; she credits being able to fully submerse herself in her fictional world without having to leave it as a way she escaped the dreaded writer’s block. Even though she didn’t finish her first draft of Fangirl during her NaNoWriMo experience, she complete the 50’000-word challenge.

Personally, I also love that Fangirl’s originated from NaNoWriMo, as I feel it is something Cath herself would have taken part in.   

2. Wool by Hugh Howey

In a world where the air is toxic and landscaped, hostile and ruined, those unlucky enough to have survived live in a gigantic underground silo. Filled with stairs and dark corridors hiding darker secrets and lies. To survive this harsh world, it forces its inhabitants to live their lives to strict rules and regulations. But some do not.

You may also know Wool as Apple TV’s gripping dystopian series Silo. This is a story of outstanding success for author Hugh Howey, who originally wrote and self-published Wool as a short story. The surge in popularity among readers motivated Howey to utilise NaNoWriMo to develop the concept and transform it into a more extensive piece of fiction. There is also an article by Howey himself How NaNoWriMo Trained Me to Be a Professional Author.

I have yet to read Wool; I have seen the series wasn’t aware it was based on anything, but now I have the books and can’t wait to read it.

3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Nearly qualified veterinarian Jacobe Jankowski struggles to survive during the great depression. With no home and no family, he wonders from town to town until he jumps in to a new live, via passenger train, with the Benzini Brothers (second-rate) Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Being placed in charge of the care of the menagerie, he makes friends, enemies, and a deep connection to Rosie. A seemingly untrainable elephant.

Now in Gruen's pep talk, Gruen gives us the story of what happens when life gets in the way and not even the most meticulous planning can’t prevent. Beat it by breaking your leg or pets needing medical care. Getting any words on the page in this situation is amazing. Being able to reach your goal is almost a miracle. And clearly any setbacks Gruen had during her process didn’t hurt since in 2011 they released the film adaptation. Gruen story tells us that sometimes life can be stressful, but if you keep working at it, chiselling at it when you can build something great. Water for Elephants is a beautifully written sad and romantic story, and a work Gruen should be proud of.

4. The Luna Chronicles (Books 1-3) by Marissa Meyer A series of interconnected sci-fi fairytale retellings, the Lunar Chronicles followers Cinder, a cyborg mechanic. Living in the 31st century, where the people are plagued by disease and intergalactic struggles between the Kingdom of the moon and the people on earth. A struggle Cinder unexpectedly gets entangled with after Kay, the prince of New Beijing, set on a path to find a mechanic and asks for her help.   

Okay, I’m cheating a little by rolling three books in to one but hear me out. Marissa Meyer wrote the first three books (Cinder, Scarlet & Cress) of her quartet in one single November. In November 2008 Meyer, seems to have found herself a time turner and pulled a Hermione Granger on us and wrote 150’011 words. Because sleeping is optional, apparently.

Joking aside, I think it’s clear today I am very impressed and just don’t know how she did it. Meyer has a clear love for NaNoWriMo as you can see in her Q&A I Sold My NaNoWriMo Novel! as she has taken part several times since. Clearly with more obligations in her life since she hasn’t cranked out a steven King level of writing since.

Just How?

Now all four authors had very different tactics and stories coming in and out of their NaNoWriMo experience. Some finished their drafts, others didn’t, but overall, their message is the same. You have achieved so much and should be proud of every word you got on the page this month (any month, really).

And if this NaNoWriMo was completely and utter bust for you. That’s fine too. Just means this approach isn’t for you. Not one writing technique fits everyone. I just hope that these four (seven) novels can prove that the words you stubbornly typed out on your screen don’t just have to stay there and that every rough draft can be polished into something amazing.

The Overly Anxious Writer