NaNoWriMo on the Horizon …

A warning: I’m going to vent a little in the first half of this blog posting, but I’m offering up some NaNoWriMo advice in the second half.

First, I want to mention something I’ve noticed about haters of NaNoWriMo. They just don’t get it. NaNoWriMo haters assume it’s about getting published. “Most NaNoWriMo participants never finish …” or “Never get published.”

Well, here’s something I’ve noticed about those nay-sayers:

• They see writing as a chore. Sure writing isn’t easy, but just because it’s not easy, doesn’t mean it’s not fun. It’s about the joy of creating something new, not worrying about perfection. Get the corn cob out of your butt.
• They keep saying it’s not a novel. No, it’s a rough draft for a potential novel. We know that. Quit thinking you’re opening up an epiphany to participants. And National Rough Draft Writing Month just doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily.
• They take themselves too seriously. Lighten up.
• They probably have some writing program they’re trying to peddle to you. NaNoWriMo is free and we don’t want to pay you. An aspiring writer can learn more from just writing 1600 words a month than paying for a $200 writing course.

All I hear from those who give writing advice is: write, write, write if you want to be a writer. Isn’t that the backbone of NaNoWriMo? It never makes any promises. It’s just a first step, if nothing else. To say most NaNoWriMo manuscripts are never published is another way of saying I’m an asshat. There’s a long list of NaNoWriMo participants who went on to see their work published. NaNoWriMo probably gave them the courage to do it.

I’m Charlie Sheen in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off telling Ferris’s sister to stop worrying so much about her brother and to get a life.

Secondly, I’ve made a list of NaNoWriMo blog entry’s I’ve written over the years for you to peruse:

• What I’m doing to get ready for NaNoWriMo – Before you start writing in November, you can plan in October.
• What I’m doing to get ready for NaNoWriMo, Part Deux -More ways to get ready for NaNoWriMo
• The next step: The Snowflake Method – Consider using the Snowflake Method to plan your NaNoWriMo story (optional, of course).
• My first NaNoWriMo region meeting -NaNoWriMo is not done in a vacuum.
• Making a Scene – Creating a scene list for NaNoWriMo.
• He gripped her hand in an even tighter grip. Whaaaaat? – NaNoWriMo isn’t about writing perfect prose.
• My first NaNoWriMo write-in – You don’t have to do NaNoWriMo alone.
• Some Things I’m Learning from This Year’s NaNoWriMo – Some observations as I participated a few years ago.
• I’m Four-Fifths Done, so I Might as Well Finish – Motivation to finish NaNoWriMo.

Just for the record, I’ve taken some of the manuscripts I’ve written for NaNoWriMo, re-worked and re-worked them, and then published them. And I’m not a apologizing for it.

My Amazon Author Page