October 23, 2021
National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as its known, encourages authors to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. That's one thousand six hundred sixty-seven words a day that won't get edited away. Write a book in a month. It can be done. I've done it. I never officially joined in the annual November event, but I've worked within the concept a few times.
Writing is sometimes a mystical thing, at least for me. We're told by "those who know all" that to be a writer we must put our butt in the chair and write something every day. NaNoWriMo buys into that with the goal of fifty thousand words in a month. Goals are generally a good thing to have, but sometimes pulling those words out of the air and getting them on the page can be frustrating. It doesn't always work, or perhaps more correctly, it doesn't always produce quality reading.
I wonder how many people have given up when they don't reach the goal. I worry sometimes us "older" authors have perpetuated some very unkind "rules" to those just starting out. Back in my neophyte days, I was subject to those rules and I bought into them hook, line, and sinker. I definitely took the bait and set the hook, and I think I'm paying for that now.
But just how bad a thing is it if you don't reach a goal that was set by someone else? Just how difficult is it to work under the pressure to create? Can you handle it? You have to answer that for yourself, but my answers are 1) generally doesn't bother me, 2) the older I get the worse it is, and 3) nope.
I truly admire those writers who can consistently churn out a book a month. It takes a lot of discipline to do it. It also takes a lot of time dedicated to the craft. It takes a lot of organization and planning. Google NaNoWriMo and you can find a lot of resources on how to do the prep, etc.
Set the daily/monthly word count aside and that's when I think the real value of NaNoWriMo can be found. If you need to get disciplined or like me re-disciplined, then NaNoWriMo can provide encouragement. There are online resources, communities, and social media that can help.
I can only speak for myself, of course, but discipline is what I lack these days. I have the tools necessary to write a book in a month. I've had them for quite some time. I'm just not putting them into practice. I've let distractions in and they've taken over. I KNOW how to organize, schedule, and execute a workable plan but I'm not doing it.
We all need time to rest - the value of sabbaticals is well documented, but they should at some point end. Even an "old-timer" like me, with seventy books under my belt, can need that little extra push to get motivated.
Will I go on social media and toss my hat into the NaNoWriMo ring? Nope. But I have examined my November calendar and blocked out time for writing and only writing. I have a current work in progress that will benefit greatly from a little discipline on the part of this writer.
Now is the time.
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KC Kendricks
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