November's approaching. The month where writers all around the globe seclude themselves from family and the outside world. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, in fact all forms of social media, are swept aside. It's Nanowrimo time! 50,000 words in 30 days.
 |
| Image: courtesy of www.yonix.com |
Via caffeine hits, sugar highs and a non-stop workout of the fingers, writers thrash through a novel from its start to its completion. A daunting and yet awe-inspiring challenge that intrigues, so I set out to learn more about it, and wow! Discussions abound, sprinkled with shouts of, "Oh, yeah, I'm there!" and laments of, "Not possible." Emotions overflow, a chaotic mix of anticipation and glee and frustration and resentment.
Why the intense divide in opinions? Here's what I discovered.
Positives:
1. It diminishes the loneliness you endure when writing. Other writers are reaching for the same goal and you all share your joy as you achieve your daily word counts.
2. You have a goal. For the month of November you will write a 50,000 word novel. You might think that unachievable but divided into 30 days and you have a word count of a little over 1,500 words per day. Not such an impossibility, and in the end you have a whole book written.
3. You conquer fear and shove aside the temptation to procrastinate.
4. Watching your progress and being encouraged by other writers motivates you to keep writing.
5. You silence your ever-critical inner editor and the story flows.
6. The story you've written is full of faults: implausible plotting points, characters aren't consistent in behaviour, the pacing isn't right. That's okay. What you have written is the first draft which you can then revise until your story reveals itself as the gem it is.
7. Writing continuously, and finding the time to write, fosters the habit of writing every day. A discipline writers must adhere to if they are serious about writing as a career.
 |
| Image: courtesy of www.orig13.deviantart.net |
Negatives:
1. You focus wholly on your writing and live your story. The cost is isolation from your family and friends.
2. If your focus is split between producing the daily word count and life's obligations - for example, driving your children to school or football training or ballet lessons; taking a parent to their doctor's appointment - you may crash at the end, your desire to write burned out..
3. Writing a complete novel, ensuring the characters are likeable, the plot believable and the conflicts strong enough to carry the story to the end, is no easy venture. Committing to writing the work in 30 days - quantity over quality - adds an extra layer of stress.
4. The online meetings and discussions with other writers committed to Nanowrimo take away time from your writing.
5. You have the premise of your story and your characters but are unclear about the conflict, how to solve the conflict (goal), why it needs to be solved (motivation), or how the story unfolds. You falter and waste time wondering what to write.
6. The story you've written is full of humiliating faults and requires a complete rewrite if you wish the book to shine.
7. Your full-of-faults first draft reveals you are no good as a writer. You don't dare reveal your failure to anyone and you wonder if you should stop writing, give up your dream of being a writer.
 |
| Image: courtesy of www.catheswanson.com |
Nanowrimo is a contentious undertaking with as many pros as cons. It can be discouraging. It is certainly exhausting. But if you plan and prepare your novel beforehand, it is exhilarating.
Will I do it this year? Absolutely, I will. Why? Simply because it motivates writers to write and cultivates discipline, a sure-fire cure for procrastination.
| Image: courtesy of wisdomforthefuture.wordpress.com |
Are you committed to Nanowrimo this November? Are you steering clear of it? If you've participated before, do share your experiences and any words of advice or caution.
Love to love - writing...and writing...and writing.
Love to laugh - at all the crazy ideas I can think up while brainstorming.
Love to learn - how to make Nanowrimo work best for me.
Hi, Enisa Haines!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to NANO but...I have to do a lot of reshufflig of the every day schedule to do it. A LOT.
Hi Dee. I'm keen to do NANO simply because it allows me to write without my perfectionist internal editor interfering with me getting the story out. I want to experience that freedom of writing! But, yes, as I mentioned, you need to reshuffle daily life obligations in order to do NANO.
ReplyDeleteIt is a blissful month, isn't it. A month without my internal monitor bullying me to fix up sentence structure, grammar, punctuation. It's almost like going on holiday.
DeleteHi Enisa, what a great post. I've always wondered about the 50,000 words in thirty day challenge. I've heard a few authors say that's how they got their first book. I'm half way through my third Lexie book and going over and editing etc can be frustrating and tedious. I can't do the NANO because of where I'm at with the manuscript but I might try it with my next endeavour - November or not.Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Karen. Writing without editing is a great concept. Most people start a new story but many - myself included - will continue the story currently eorked on. The aim is words on the page. Many words. Editing comes later.
DeleteI'm looking forward to the experience. Hopefully the editor in me will enjoy the holiday away. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Enisa. Thanks for showing us the pro's and con's of NANO. It is good to be informed of these before making a decision. Some writers take their annual leave to do NANOWRIMO.
ReplyDeleteHi Cassandra. NANO is a great idea but to get the best out of the experience you really need to have some idea of the story you write or you're left floundering for most of the time. Annual leave sounds wonderful...Sigh...
DeleteGreat post, Enisa. Good luck to everyone taking part. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole. Thanks for visiting. Are you participating in NANO or have you previously?
DeleteHi Enisa, I've never attempted Nanowrimo simply because November is such a busy month. One year I participated in 50 000 words in 30 days, in June (which is a much better month for me). I didn't get anywhere near 50 000 words done, but I did get (from memory) something like 20 000, which I was really happy with achieving. It was great to learn to switch off my internal editor as I'd never been able to do that before. I had a lot of rewriting to do with those 20 000 words, but at least I had that amount to edit, rather than still to write :).
ReplyDeleteHi Marilyn. Getting the words down is the goal. I'm hoping that's the case with me. And 20,000 words is a great achievement.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I've attempted to do Nano I've failed dismally and yet every year when it comes around I think, "Oooohh, I should do this." Must be a sucker for punishment.
ReplyDeleteNot this year though. Too much other stuff on but I wish everyone all the best. May the words be with you!
By the way, did you all see Chuck Wendig's post on how to outline during Nano? That was pretty cool. Lots of different methods to try. http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2015/10/06/how-to-outline-during-national-plot-your-novel-month/
Hi Cathryn. You've attempted NANO. That's a huge plus in itself. The fact that you are always interested in doing it indicates it's a positive exercise for you despite your perceived 'failure'. Perhaps next year you'll climb high! And yes, I saw Chuck Wendig's post.Outlining is a must, for sure.
DeleteSuch an inspirational post! Love the idea of writing a book in a month. And it's true, when you break it down, it's potentially do-able. Thanks Enisa.
ReplyDeleteHi Malvina. NANO inspires, doesn't it? The main plus about it is it makes you 'write!'
DeleteExactly! So I do hope you make your goal, Enisa. Next time you blog you'll have to tell us how the month went for you? I'm so interested to hear.
DeleteThanks for the encouragement, Malvina. I hope I do get lots done!
DeleteHi Enisa. This sounds exciting and challenging. 50000 words in 30 days! It will be fascinating to hear about your experiences conquering Nanowrimo. Thank you for sharing this information with us.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon. Challenge is the right word, especially as I also have a full-time day job. But...I wanted to try and whatever word count I end up with at the end, it's an achievement.
ReplyDelete