Day One is proud to announce its official sponsorship of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). For those unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo is an annual event that challenges writers across the globe to pen a 50,000-word novel during the month of November.
Why NaNoWriMo?
We believe in the power of stories. Every day, thousands of Day One users pen their life stories, insights, dreams, and aspirations. NaNoWriMo’s mission resonates deeply with our philosophy: to inspire and empower individuals to bring their stories to life.
The Connection Between Journaling and Novel-Writing
Journaling complements the novel-writing process by serving as a safe place for experimentation, a repository for memories and ideas, and a therapeutic tool for navigating the emotional landscape of bringing a story to life. Though distinct in their primary objectives, journaling and novel-writing are intrinsically connected through the fundamental act of writing. While journaling is a personal record and novel-writing is typically a work of fiction intended for an audience, the skills, habits, and insights gained from journaling can significantly enrich the process and depth of novel-writing.
Here’s a deeper look into the connection between these two forms:
- Self-Reflection and Exploration: Both journaling and novel-writing involve a deep dive into the self. Through journaling, one reflects on personal experiences, thoughts, and emotions. In novel-writing, even when crafting fictional worlds, a writer often draws upon personal beliefs, feelings, and experiences, consciously or subconsciously, to shape characters, plots, and settings.
- Narrative Structure: Journals, especially those maintained over long periods, inherently have a narrative structure, charting the evolution of the writer’s life, thoughts, and emotions. This narrative sense can be beneficial when constructing the plot of a novel.
- Character Development: A journal is, in many ways, a character study of the writer themselves. The introspection and self-awareness cultivated in journaling can translate to a deeper understanding of character motivations, desires, and arcs in novel-writing.
- Observational Skills: Regular journaling can hone a writer’s observational skills. Recording daily events, interactions, and surroundings in a journal can help a writer become more attuned to details, which can then be translated into vivid descriptions and nuanced character behaviors in a novel.
- Idea Generation: Journals often become repositories for random thoughts, dreams, overheard conversations, or observations. These can be goldmines for novel ideas, character traits, or intriguing scenarios.
- Safe Space for Experimentation: Journals provide a private space where writers can experiment without fear of judgment. This freedom to explore can lead to breakthroughs in creativity that benefit novel-writing.
Day One as Your Companion for Novel Writing
Over the years, we’ve heard from many users who have written novels using Day One. Here’s how Day One can be leveraged for novel-writing:
- Rich Text Formatting: Day One supports rich text, allowing you to bold, italicize, and underline text. This can help you emphasize certain sections or make notes on revisions.
- Media Embeds: Day One includes the ability to embed photos, audio, and even video in entries. This can be beneficial for setting visual scene references, recording spoken dialogue ideas, or even attaching inspiration for character appearances.
- Tags and Organization: With the ability to tag entries, you can categorize sections of your novel, character backgrounds, plot ideas, research notes, and more, making it easier to locate specific information later.
- Templates: Day One allows the creation of journal templates. Novelists can design templates for character profiles, setting descriptions, or chapter outlines to maintain consistency.
- Location and Weather Data: Day One automatically captures location and weather data. For writers looking to use real-life settings or incorporate weather elements into their story, this feature can be valuable.
- Timelines and Calendar Views: The app organizes entries chronologically. If you want to chart the progression of their story or character arcs based on dates, this timeline can be helpful. Calendar view is especially helpful for seeing entries in a visual way, plotting entries on an interactive calendar.
- End-to-end Encryption: Day One offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring that your novel’s content remains private and secure.
- Multiple Journals: Users can maintain unlimited journals within the app. A novelist could have one journal for character sketches, another for plot development, and yet another for general brainstorming.
- Daily Prompts: While Day One’s daily writing prompts are designed for journaling, they can serve as inspiration or writing exercises for novelists, potentially sparking ideas or breaking through writer’s block.
- Sync Across Devices: Day One syncs across multiple devices. This means a novelist can jot down ideas on their phone while on the go, then expand on them on a tablet or computer later.
- Export Options: Day One allows users to export their entries. As sections of a novel are completed, they can be exported for further editing or sharing with your readers.
- Book Printing: Day One includes built-in book printing functionality, allowing you to print a beautiful keepsake paperback or hardcover book of your novel.
While Day One is not explicitly a novel-writing software, its features can certainly be adapted to support the novel-writing process. Its beautifully-designed, intuitive interface and the emphasis on capturing personal insights can be particularly inspiring for writers aiming to inject authenticity into their stories.
Special Offer!
To kick off this partnership, we’re offering a 25% discount on our premium subscription for all NaNoWriMo participants. All NaNoWriMo participants get 25% off a Day One Premium subscription throughout November. Just use the discount code NANOWRIMO to claim it.
*Offer valid November 1 – 30, 2023; includes 30-day free trial. Valid on the purchase price for first-time premium subscriptions only, purchased through this checkout link. Not applicable for subscription renewals. Offer excludes Day One accounts who have previously engaged with a free trial.
A Final Note of Encouragement
Whether you’re a seasoned novelist or a first-time writer, NaNoWriMo is a celebration of creativity, perseverance, and passion. Remember, it’s not about perfection; it’s about progress. With Day One by your side, we’re excited to be a part of your incredible journey.
Here’s to a month of inspiration, dedication, and storytelling!
Download Day One for Free Now
The Day One journaling app makes it easy to build and maintain a daily journaling habit. Daily journaling reminders, daily writing prompts, and journal streaks are designed to help keep you motivated and consistently journaling.
