The Best Way to Celebrate Becoming a Novelist

I had an anniversary coming up. Specifically, my novelist anniversary. And it wasn’t just “another year of being a novelist” It was my 10^th year of becoming a novelist!

 

Yes, in 2023, it was my tenth anniversary of becoming a novelist. My first novel, Shadow of Samhain, had been published in November of 2013. This is the novel that made me a novelist.

 

This was a huge thing for me, because it was a dream of mine to become a novelist. It took some trial and error to OFFICIALLY make that dream come true! So I was determined to do SOMETHING to celebrate becoming a novelist.

 

The thing I wanted to do? Why, have another novel published during that month, of course!

 

Sadly, that didn’t happen. And I stupidly thought that since the thing I WANTED to happen for my anniversary was not going to happen, I might as well not celebrate it at all. (Yes, I know. Stupid. I could have done something else.)

 

So I just kept working away at the computer, writing things.

 

And, eventually, I realized something: I DO have a way of celebrating becoming a novelist.

 

And the best part is, I could do this little celebration every year.

 

How?

 

Well, my novel was published in November. And what happens in November?

 

Writers everywhere, say it with me: NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH!

 

Otherwise known as NaNoWriMo, a yearly event I have participated in.

 

So I don’t really need to have my next novel published in the month my first novel was published in order to celebrate becoming a novelist.

 

Instead, I should do the thing that made it possible for me to become a novelist in the first place: Write another novel.

 

By participating in NaNoWriMo and writing my next novel, I will not only celebrate becoming a novelist but honor the accomplishment of being one. This is best done by writing my next novel.

 

Sure, I can write a novel any time of the year, but participating in NaNoWriMo is now even more special for me and more of a big deal. It’s an important anniversary recognizing an important achievement in my life. And by writing more novels, I am showing gratitude and appreciation for my gift of writing.

 

After I made this decision of celebrating becoming a novelist by writing another novel during NaNoWriMo, I received some wonderful news: A novel I submitted was accepted for publication. It will be my fourth novel, but certainly not my last.

 

Interestingly, this novel was written during NaNoWriMo in 2022!

 

What’s even more interesting is what happened next: I was asked when I wanted the novel to be published. I really couldn’t decide! So I asked my oldest to pick a month that is in the future. The month he picked? November.

 

So it looks like there will be a new novel during my anniversary month after all. A year late, but still something to celebrate with all the same. So I’ll celebrate 11 years of being a novelist by having a new novel come out. I can still celebrate the anniversary with it.

 

That, plus writing another novel during NaNoWriMo.