I ran into someone who was trying to decide if they should do NaNoWriMo in November and asked my opinion. Personally, I don’t because the only thing that it’s worthwhile for is getting yourself writing consistently. I already do that, so what’s the point? But sure, let’s talk about it.I suppose there’s nothing wrong with it if that’s what you’re into. It’s been around for many years to encourage people to write stories or engage in other creative endeavors. The goal is to write 50,000 words over the month of November. If you need that help, go for it.
I, however, do not. I write more than 100k a month, just about every month of the year. I started a new novel last Monday and I’m going to hit 40k tomorrow. I’ll probably be at 50K+ by Thursday because I’m taking Friday off for the holiday. This isn’t a challenge and I don’t need the encouragement. When you write as much as I do, it’s already a done deal.
That isn’t to say that if you need the help, you can’t do it, but as far as I’m concerned, something like NaNoWriMo ought to be a one-time thing. It teaches you how to get your backside in gear. Keep that going in December and forward and you don’t need the help anymore. You learned the lesson you need to learn!
Unfortunately, I see people doing this over and over again, usually in July and November, and then not doing a damn thing in between. They spend most of the year gearing up for NaNoWriMo and not actually writing any other time. They’re not really writing, they’re just trying to “win” twice a year. Sorry, that’s just not impressive to me.
Granted, there is a lot of camaraderie in it, lots of people trying to encourage others to hit their goals and for that, I suppose it might be useful, but writing, whether anyone likes it or not, is a matter of self-motivation. You have to learn how to put your ass in the chair and perform on command and if you can do that twice a year, you can do that every other day too.
The reality is, you don’t see professional authors and those serious about the craft rubbing their hands together and waiting for NaNoWriMo to get anything written. They just do it. So can you. It just takes dedication and not allowing yourself to fail. If you want to get anywhere, that’s where your head has to be at.
If you like it, go right ahead. However, learn from it what you need to learn and stop relying on a month, once or twice a year, to get anything done. Writing isn’t about friendship, it’s not about encouraging, it’s about buckling down and getting to work. Stop making excuses and just do it. You’ll never get anywhere if you can’t.
