Most writers are familiar with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), when writers around the world challenge themselves to draft 50,000 words in November. I tried it a couple of times, but doing it on my own never quite worked for me. Writing may be a solitary pursuit, but it’s so much easier when you have people beside you, cheering you on and sharing the journey.
Sadly, NaNoWriMo as we knew it is no longer with us. But writers, being writers, are nothing if not adaptable.
For longer than I’ve even been a member, my local writing group, Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers, has carried on the spirit of that challenge, but with a twist. Instead of November, we write in January. We affectionately call it Jano.
And honestly? January might be the superior choice.
First, January has 31 days instead of 30. That extra day may not sound like much, but when you’re chasing a 50,000-word goal, one more day feels like a gift from the writing gods.
Second, the holidays are behind us. The chaos settles, the decorations are packed away, and the obligations ease just enough for us to breathe again, and maybe reclaim a little time for ourselves and our stories.
And third (and perhaps most convincing): it’s cold. Really cold. There’s far less temptation to go anywhere when the wind is biting and the ground is frozen. If we’re going to be stuck inside, we might as well be writing… right?
As you can see, I didn’t quite reach 50,000 words this year, but 29,795 words is still something to celebrate. Most of those words didn’t land in The Forgotten Series: Book One — Revealing Magic, but they were far from wasted. I drafted and scheduled a number of posts for my Substack Page (if you’re not following along there yet, this is your gentle nudge 😊), and I expanded several of my award-winning short-story contest pieces. Those are now becoming a collection I hope to release later this year, tentatively titled:
Between Worlds and Words: A Journey of Stories, Poetry, and Imagination.
And after all the work in January comes the reward: our big February Jano celebration!
This year’s party included two contests; Best Haiku and Best 100-Word Story (exactly 100 words—no more, no less). And, borrowing a phrase from the Olympics currently underway… your’s truly took home the gold in both! You can see below…
Footsteps in the hall,
my phone lights up with a name.
I buried last year.
I’m alone. Every door locked. Every window shut. My apartment is silent.
Suddenly my phone pings. It’s him. Impossible, he’s dead.
The message reads: “You thought burying me would end it.”
I force a laugh. A prank, surely.
Another ping. My own number. My own voice, trembling, urgent: “He’s back. Run.”
A floorboard creaks outside the bedroom door. The room vibrates with each frantic heartbeat.
The handle slowly turns. A scream lodges in my throat.
The bedroom door opens. He’s here. The knife flashes. I recognize the grip, the same hands I thought were gone, now closing in on me.
Other Party Fun!
The Cake!
The Body!
The Party!
Friends & Fellow Authors!
Receiving My Certificate!
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