NaNoWriMo Path Taken Have I

Have You taken the NaNoWriMo Plunge?

For the first time, I have embarked on the National Novel Writing Month challenge where all participating writers strive to pump out 50,000 words in the 30 days of November. That’s approximately 1600 words per day. On this sixth day of this double dog dare of dares, I can tell you that this is no easy task. How did I get messed up in all this? I point the blame squarely on the shoulders of Chuck Wendig. Yup, it’s all his fault! Why you ask? I stumbled upon his blog post “Why you Should do Nanowrimo… and Why you Shouldn’t.”

The post starts with a graphic that slaps you in the face with these words:

Stop Talking About Writing
Stop Reading About Writing
Stop Dreaming About Writing

The Thing That Defines a Writer
Is that the Writer Writes.

If you are one of those peeps like me that constantly talks, reads, and dreams about writing that stings like a flint-tipped spear jabbed in the gut. Nothing one couldn’t stagger back to the cave and patch up with some moss and banana leaves, but the hole is there and blood is oozing out of it.

The reasons Chuck lists as to why you should undertake the NaNoRimo challenge are right on track. I can already feel the discipline in my writing building. I love when Chuck describes the process as “geared explicitly toward finishing your shit, and finishing your shit is about the only single piece of writing advice you can really, genuinely count on to be true.” Booyah. It’s so true. Plus, if you get really good at the craft you may get an invitation to Harlan Ellison’s love ranch. There are details on that little bitty in Mr. Wendig’s post.

Chuck points out that if you plan to make money with your writing you will be expected to produce a lot of content quickly. Believe me, produce content is exactly what you must do to make it through NaNoWriMo. Today was a good day for me. I cranked out 2019 words and had a fun time to boot. I have already noticed that if you force yourself to write it actually gets easier. How so ye say? Well, for me I have noticed that the more I write the more situations I setup that keep the writing rolling along. Last night I ended with my characters in a military ready room. The command staff was laying out their plans to stop a planetary invasion by an extraterrestrial force. That made today both fun and easy. I got to plan and implement the rescue of an entire planet full of folks. I am not often put in charge of such things.

Another aspect of the Nano experience that’s is extremely helpful is the whole becoming one with the rough draft thang. Writers in Nano are not expected to produce polished novels at the end of 30 days. What’s expected is that you will produce a rough draft of 50 thousand some odd words that will then be polished up into a beautiful thing. In other words, you will never finish that novel unless you first hack out a rough draft. Are you like me and constantly revising as you write? That’s me to a tee and I find it difficult to finish projects – especially novel-length ones.

And besides, as Chuck says:

“Time isn’t going to wait for you and you’re going to die someday so, fuck it. Write now. Not later. You might be dead in December. Maybe the world will blow up. But that story inside you? It’s ready now. So, fire up the ol’ wordithopter and fly yourself to the distant land of Bookopolis.”

Ok – I will get off my soapbox now. My ten-hour shift slaving away in my home office is complete. There is a rumor around these parts that I have a wife and children, and a tuxedo cat roaming the halls. I am going to go reconnoiter and see if there is any truth behind those statements.

Are you in Nano? Would love to hear about your experience so far!

Cheers!

PS – and Thanks, Chuck!