NaNoWriMo

Oh Monday. You've never looked so daunting.

So, for those of you who don't know (and I'm sure most of you out there do), tomorrow marks the start of NaNoWriMo. Oh yes.

NaNoWrimo is an international challenge to write 50,000 words in just the 30 days of November. It is a time for literary abandon. It is a time for dusting off your keyboards, putting away the Internet and stop all forms of procrastination that has kept you from writing the other 11 months of the year.

NaNoWriMo is different for everyone, but allows for a lot of people who don't normally consider themselves writers and allow them a way to become that, but it also helps give year-round writers a kick in the butt.

NaNo is a time of crazy. It's crazy to attempt to write 50,000 words in a month when you have a full-time job, are a full-time student, or have other responsibilities. It's maddening and will more than suck your time out.

But NaNo does something wonderful in the process. It allows a writer to get over themselves. It allows the plot and characters to take over when the writer's brain is so far gone that he/she couldn't really come up with anything even if he/she wanted to.

Writing happens in its truest form. Things you never dreamed about can come out. It's a journey that will take you places.

But NaNo isn't for everyone. NaNo requires crap writing. NaNo requires a writer to get over himself/herself and just plain write with no concern about it being good. Sure, everyone does a little editing while they work, but I'm talking whole chunks. Yes, chapter 6 is the worst thing you've ever written. Oh well, move on.

A lot of people can't do that. And that's okay. We all move at our different paces and need to write in our own ways. Maggie Stiefvater does not like NaNo. NaNo makes me get things done faster than I ever work outside of November. Of course, it is a major stress too.

So tell me - are you doing NaNo this year? If so, what are you looking forward to? What's your favorite part? If you don't like NaNo, why not? Would you ever consider trying it? Let me know in the comments.

Edit: Oh! And if any of you want to be NaNo buddies, I'm so ready for that! My username is Annerb. Come find me!

Comments