NaNoWriMo
October 20, 2009 
I'm of that prophetically doomed school of writers who are a sad, deluded people who all too often strangle their creations during their birthing because they try to craft them too completely as they issue forth from the font of genesis.
That's why I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year. I want to participate in the spirit of the challenge and just write the words as they happen, without slowing myself to rearrange them into what I think is the proper phrase or sequence at the moment. Just let the words fall where they may, and sort it all out when the draft is done.
I don't know why that's so antithetical to me. I'm not a writer typically given to sharing works in progress. When people see much of what I write, it's because it's in a state fit for consumption. Every now and then I break from that tradition, just to solicit a bit of feedback or stress-test a squirrelly idea, but mostly, all my craft happens backstage and appears only when it's ready to receive visitors.
That's why I'm really excited about trying this experiment. Again, I'm wanting to cleave as closely as possible to the spirit of the exercise, so I haven't done any pre-planning outside the rudimentary creation of ideas. I have three, but I want to wait until I actually start writing -- until NaNoWriMo actually kicks off -- to see which idea fights its way onto the page. That's not necessarily the best way to approach writing, but I'm trying to shake off the bad habits and tethers with which I've voluntary yoked myself.
I encourage any aspiring writer to take advantage of the opportunity. If you're in Atlanta, I've set up a NaNoWriMo write-in at the Independent on November 2nd as a sort of kick-off. Feel free to drop by and scribble with us. The event is here if you're a Facebooker.
Reader Comments (6)
Word, brother.
Last year was the first year I "won" with a 50,000-word novel of my own creation. For years I discussed my "Great American Novel," but I spent years plotting, planning, outlining, and generally stalling. That's the point of NaNo - to pick up a pen (or keyboard) and write the damn thing. The tight deadline forces you to just go with it. If you stop to tinker or rework, you'll never finish (and you can tinker all you want during the editing phase in December). My first novel may be rough and in need to serious rewriting, but the hard part is done. I'm fairly pleased with the pile of clay I've created. And the tale took many interesting twists and turns that I never would have come up with without the pressure of just getting something - anything - down on the page. (Sorry for the rant/kudos, but I really enjoyed last year's event.)
Good luck, Justin!
I've done NaNo the last three years ("winning" twice!) Last year I did it in collaboration with my daughter's 5th grade teacher and her class which were doing a unit on creative writing. The kids really motivated me to finish. My only advice would be to generate some kind of outline before you start. The year I didn't finish was the year I planned to just wing it. That said, everyone writes differently, so go with what works for you, and write like hell with no self-censorship. (Editing, in my opinion, is the real hard work of writing a novel. So have fun with the fun part: the rough draft!)
Sounds like we got into it for the same creative reasons. Hope it works out for you the way it has for me: Hard work, but personally, massively rewarding.
NaNo is great. I did it last year, had a lot of fun, wrote a lot, and learned a lot. I'm doing the "NaNo rebel" thing this year, but I'm still pretty active around the forums. Best of luck!
The biggest thing to remember is you can always edit what you've written, but you can't edit what you haven't.
NaNoWriMo is simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating, but if you can pull it off it feels awesome. Last year was also my first "win," and I'm coming back for seconds this year. The hardest part is getting over how the books 'should' be written and just writing it. any words are good words during November.
Good luck with NaNoWriMo...
I tried it myself but found it's really not for me...