November is National Novel Writing Month, as many of you probably know. The idea of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. That works out to about 1666 words a day; no small undertaking.
I did NaNo back in 2011. We had just moved to a new city and I was in the mood to try something new. I’d heard about NaNo for years and decided to give it a try. My wife supported me in my goal, which is the only way I could have managed it. The only way I could maintain that pace was to to write for an hour during my lunch break, and then for another hour at night after the kids went to bed. It also required I do some catch-up on weekends. I made it, but little else got done that month.
I’ve not done NaNo since. Not because I don’t think it’s a good idea, but because I’ve had no need to. I’ve been writing more or less constantly since then, finishing the novel I began and completing two others. No, I’ve never written as fast as I did that month, but I’ve also not had to sacrifice everything else, either.
But just because I no longer need NaNo to stay motivated doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s a great program. Many people really enjoy the camaradarie and motivation that comes from NaNo. The morale boost of “making it” is unparalleled. It’s good to know you can do hard things. I’ll remain a fan of NaNo for a long time.
Obviously this post comes too late to be an ad for NaNoWriMo or a motivational pep talk for those thinking about doing it. This is really intended to be more of a salute to all those out there who are “in” this year. Good luck, folks! Get that word count! You can do it! Write! Write like the wind! Don’t edit, just put down more words! There’ll be time enough for editing when the month is done. Don’t even bother commenting on this post! I’ll understand! Get out of Facebook and get back to work! (Unless Facebook is your reward for hitting wordcount, in which case enjoy your well-earned break!)