What is NaNoWriMo? For the uninitiated, this acronym is short for National Novel Writing Month, and it has taken place every November since its inception in 1999. The idea is to crank out 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30—which works out to be 1667 words per day. Every day. On a novel, specifically a new novel.
Why would any sane person take part in such a venture? (I have asked myself that very question, usually at five in the morning as I rub the sleep out of my eyes and stare at the glowing computer screen…)
First and foremost, it’s FUN! Really! Put that infernal internal editor on the back burner and let your creative side take over! When you write that fast and that consistently, you don’t have time to agonize over word choices or plot points. True, a lot of what you might write is drivel, but I can guarantee you that there will be a wealth of gold and gems in what you produce. (More than you think.) The best part is that you actually end up with words that can be edited—as opposed to a blank computer screen with a blinking cursor and anxiety because you haven’t produced anything. :-/
Writing is a solitary activity; therefore, perhaps the most important element of NaNo is community. There are lots of forums on the site itself, and many groups, such as CWG, create their own small communities for the month. There’s a move afoot on the CWG Yahoo group and the Facebook group to get one going. (CWG members, contact Ann Lewis or Karina Fabian if you haven’t been invited to these groups yet.)
Even more fun, many regional groups have sprung up and organize “write-ins.” Can you imagine how much fun is it to go to a sponsoring coffee shop and be part of twenty or fifty folks tapping away at their computers on a blustery November evening?!! There are kick-off parties before NaNo begins, and celebration parties after it ends. If you follow the official rules and win, you get a cool NaNo icon to put on your website. And you get a “participant” icon just for making the effort.
One of the byproducts of the discipline of NaNo is confidence. You discover it is possible to crank out lots of words—and you discover that your creative side wants to come out and play. Like any talent, the more you use and hone it, the stronger it becomes. Lauren Sapala has written a great blog on the benefits of NaNoWriMo.
Think about it. This time next month, you could be nearing the middle or end of your novel! I will admit that I’ve never completed the 50k goal—but I’ve hit more than 20k. Without the challenge, I would have written maybe 5k words for the month. Whether you “win” or not, it’s worth a try.
Will you? If you’ve never tried it before, why not? Do you think you might try this year? If you’ve done NaNo before, share your experience—the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Leslie Lynch
Leslie Lynch writes women's fiction, giving voice to characters who struggle to find healing for their brokenness – and discover unconventional solutions to life’s unexpected twists. She is an occasional contributor to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’s weekly paper, The Criterion. She can be found at www.leslielynch.com and is on facebook and Twitter@Leslie_Lynch_
I have a love-hate relationship with NaNo. Sometimes I feel it encourages bad writing habits, like adding unnecessary words to pad out the day’s word count. But on the other hand it can be a good challenge. I’ve tried several NaNos and have yet to emerge with 50000 words of completed novel, but I’m game to try again this November.
I hear you, Nissa! The only downside, though, in my mind is my sense of failure when I don’t make the 50k goal. But that turns into an occasion for closeness with God as I struggle to get past my self-centeredness!
Glad to hear you’re going to give it a go again! Happy writing, and hoping that this will be your year! Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks Leslie,
NaNoWriMo sounds like training for a marathon. Remember how you shared about writer’s block. NaNoWriMo would attack my inclination to throw up my hands at the brain fatigue.
This does sound like fun, but I may do more rewriting than writing.
God Bless,
Don
I just took a class where we did a NaNo-style month of writing, and our professor had some great advice for succeeding with it: Don’t hit the delete button! The temptation *is* to rewrite!
What we did for class was take notes in Scrivener (though a notebook would work, too) as plot and character details changed throughout the writing process. Our professor told us that, if 60 pages in, we decided our eighteen-year-old female college student protagonist needs to be a thirty-five year old man with a wife and five kids, that we should just make a note and keep moving forward. She was exaggerating, of course, but it was helpful to hear. Myself, I realized at the 45K mark that I had chosen the wrong protagonist for my story – the one I thought was the protagonist ended up being too passive, didn’t carry the story goals herself. But another character did. Many of the major plot elements held firm, but I changed POVs for the synopsis we had to write afterwards.
Rhonda, that’s GREAT advice! Thanks for sharing. If you hadn’t made the point – “make a note and keep moving” – had I gotten to the 45k mark and realized something of that magnitude was wrong, I would have quit. Now I won’t. 🙂
Okay, Don. You and me, we’re in this together! I suspect you have a perfectionistic streak a mile wide, just like mine. The biggest gift of NaNo? Making the internal editor SHUT UP. Even when you use bad grammar while trying to make a point!
I love NaNoWriMo! I’ve participated every year since 2005. I’m AlleyCat there, if anyone here wants to be buddies.
Wow, Alice! I’ve participated a couple of times, but didn’t get very far before I gave up. This will be your ninth time!!! I might look you up. My local writing group has created a Facebook group for NaNo, another way to create a supportive environment for the month’s effort.
Best of results for you, Alice! Happy writing!