Ahhhh November. The weather turns that bit chillier (or warmer if you’re on the other side of the world), you’re eating post-Halloween pumpkin for days, Christmas isn’t too far off, and you’re diligently scribbling away every day aiming to reach that coveted winner’s badge. Because, let’s face it, if you’re a writer, let’s face it, November means one thing and one thing only: NaNoWriMo.
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenges writers to get down 50,000 words during the month of November. There are badges to win. Online communities. In more sociable times, even offline communities! There is much hype, many words and a lot (and I mean a lot) of planning.
I first heard about the concept a couple of years ago but didn’t sign up – the timing with my project just never really worked out. This year, though, I had more free time and an exciting, burgeoning project that I couldn’t wait to write. So, I signed up.
I didn’t really go in thinking I would write 50,000 words; I had too much to finish up on Winter’s Fire. But I thought I could make a decent enough dent in it. Plus the constant chatter in ‘Preptober’ gave me a heavy dose of NaNo-fever.
NaNoWriMo is almost over. And I’ve written a grand total of…(drum roll)…1,000 words. No, I haven’t forgotten a nought or two. I wrote just one thousand words. Barely three pages.
Am I disappointed? No. That might be surprising. After all, the goal of NaNo is to write precisely 50 times the number of words I’ve written. But I’m truly not disappointed in myself. In fact, I’ve come out of November feeling a far more rounded writer than I went in. I’ve learnt a lot about my process, about my new project and what I want from my writing.
So I thought I’d do an honest summation of my NaNo experience.
NaNoWriMo gets you to write
I mean, that is the whole point. But words aren’t everything.
I am very much of the opinion that writing isn’t just writing – it’s thinking, it’s researching, it’s staring into nothingness, it’s acting out scenes that will never make the final cut. It really is so much more than putting words on paper.
And I think this is where NaNoWriMo fails, for me at least. I’m a really slow first drafter. Really, really slow. I think this is because, even with all the plotting in the world, I am a discovery writer and I enjoy being a discovery writer, and I will veer away from any outline, plot or schedule given to me because – “oh look, new character, let’s investigate them more!” I like to research as I go, I’ll dip in and out of my bible and spend hours finding the right word. All the things that I know aren’t ‘right’ to do in a first draft, but the ‘just get the words down as quickly as you can’ approach doesn’t really work for me in the first draft.
Most of the advice in the lead up to NaNo, from the organisation itself and other online communities, is to spend the month before prepping (hence Preptober). The people I’ve seen smash the living daylights out of NaNo are the plotters – the ones who know where they’re going and it’s just a matter of getting words down.
I was galvanised by NaNoWriMo
Okay, so I didn’t write much, but the challenge really pushed me to get started on this project that has been brewing for over a year. I did more pre-draft plotting for a book than I have ever done (the bar wasn’t set high). I started a book bible before I started writing. I created three languages and named an entire world. I dreamt up three MCs with goals and needs and motivations and personal quirks, and a host of secondary characters. I have come out of NaNo with an actual story, and this – more than anything – is why I’m not disappointed in my rather pathetic word count.
Although I wasn’t putting words on paper, having dedicated NaNoWriMo to my new project made me think about the project in a less dreamy way. It gave me purpose.
The community is buzzing
The NaNoWriMo community is amazing. So much love for writing, so much support, so many memes!
It’s easy to get sucked in though, and if you’re struggling with word count for whatever reason, it can be difficult to read updates from people who reach 50K in three weeks. The pressure is real, and I’ve seen a lot of people posting about how they ‘failed’, or ‘will fail’. I can see why it might put people off writing, or make them feel like they’re doing something wrong.
On the upside, I think this is a pretty well known feature of NaNoWriMo, and there are loads of wonderful hashtags, groups and individual writers out there promoting well-being during (and before and after!) the challenge. My advice would be to go in with realistic expectations, knowing that life can get in the way (you miss one day from illness or whatever and it can really knock you off schedule). Going in with a participatory attitude as opposed to a competitive one can help alleviate the potential stress. Note: this is coming from a naturally competitive person. I like to win. I understand how hard it is to ignore the fact that NaNoWriMo is a challenge.
Acceptance of the first draft
One thing I have to say about NaNoWriMo is that it makes you accept the first draft, in all its messy, holey, typo-ridden gloriousness. With an emphasis on quantity of quality, it makes you forget about pretty prose and instead turns your focus onto just getting the damn thing down.
I really like this mentality, and it’s certainly one I’ve used to get me through difficult stages of drafting. I just can’t do it quickly enough for NaNoWriMo’s liking!
NaNoWriMo just isn’t for me
But it might be for you. If you’re a plotter who just needs to start writing, a fast writing pantser, or just someone who needs a goal or deadline to push them to write – NaNo could be for you.
But as a slow first drafter with a propensity to wander off course, and who tends to do things on my own terms, NaNoWriMo’s fast pace and rigid structure just didn’t work for me in the way it was supposed to.
However I have come out of the month knowing far more about myself as a writer than I went in before. I know more about my worldbuilding strengths, for example. Winter’s Fire was an entirely organic process, a decade’s worth of daydreams mushed into a book, so NaNoWriMo and the community have helped me develop a more deliberate approach to my next project. I’ve also found my strengths in being a pantser or discovery writer.
And I may still participate next year, just as a rebel. My first drafts are basically 120,000 word outlines. So maybe next year, I’ll try and take part but with writing a second draft and see how that goes. Or perhaps I’ll do what I did this year and dedicate the month to planning a new project again…
How was your NaNoWriMo experience?