Is NaNoWriMo Worth It?
By Michael Nellis
Photography by pexels.com
November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, a time for writers of all ages and abilities to step up to the plate and try to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Since the program’s inception in July 1999 as a nonprofit, participating writers have increased exponentially—in 2015, over 400,000 people took part in NaNoWriMo. For writers just starting out or for college students and other people with busy schedules, the question is: is it worthwhile?
The main draw of NaNoWriMo is that it literally forces writers to put down 1,667 words per day, no matter the quality of those words. Not only that, but all this takes place within an ever-growing community that pledges to support each other. To writers on the perfectionist side, that can have pros and cons: not worrying about editing as you write can be liberating, but it could also result in less effort and planning. A balance between quantity and quality is necessary, but how can that be reached?
My past attempts at the one-month novel all fell off the wayside. Sometimes I wrote too little during the first few days and my required word count snowballed into a number I couldn’t hope to make up. Other times I struggled to juggle my draft with schoolwork and burnt out. Of course, my experiences don’t represent those of everyone, but that’s rather the point: there are as many ways to write a novel as there are people. NaNoWriMo allows you to set whatever word count goal you want, but the overall message remains the same: if you write as fast as you can, you will become a better writer.
Another question to consider is what to do with the draft after November ends. The official website displays a list of well-known novels written through the program but doesn’t specify how long the entire writing and editing process extended. By focusing on the “quick draft,” the valuable editing process that follows could get short shrifted. Even if you hit the 50,000-word goal, you don’t have a complete novel on your hands.
Make no mistake about it: “NaNo” isn’t for everybody. The community can be invaluable for writers just starting out who haven’t found one elsewhere, but the old adage to write every day, while well-meaning, isn’t always the best strategy. If you’re doing the challenge, persevere towards the finish line, but don’t feel bad if a suddenly busy schedule interferes and you have to quit or lower your goal.
Don’t let NaNoWriMo define your identity as a writer. All that matters is that you can brush yourself off and put your fingers back on the keyboard.