It's November. The scent of writing ambition is in the air! That means writers everywhere are feverishly bent over their computers, typing away at 1667 words (give or take) a day as they participate in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo.
Not me.
I've done it for three years and find it to be lots of fun. However, this year I've got to move on and think about other projects. That's the way it works for a writer who is determined to keep publishing and promoting current books like Nephilim and All Things Dark and Dastardly. Still don't have your copy? Click on the links to the side or at the top of the page to get yours today!
Okay, enough with the shameless plug.
Another writer asked me if I thought there was value in participating in NaNoWriMo. Does it ever come to anything? Aren't "would-be" authors just filling the market place with badly written manuscripts once the process is over?
Yes and no. I think there can be great value in writing a 50,000 word novel in a month. It's a good way to come up with a rough draft for a project or to test out a genre you've been thinking about trying. With the no editing clause that comes with undertaking Nano, you can just turn your inner editor off and write for the sheer joy of writing. No need to worry over spelling, pacing, stilted dialogue or unbelievable characters! It's very freeing.
On the flip side, I do hear horror stories about writers who write the 50,000 words, don't really edit it, and then send it off to agents or publishers expecting to be signed. Those are the people who give the process a bad reputation. I don't care who you are. Nobody writes a perfect novel the first time without editing. Nobody. Go back and spend some time fleshing out your story, beefing up those characters, and cleaning up the dialogue before you get your heart broken with rejection!
But that's just me. What's your opinion on National Novel Writing Month?
I did it several times also and it's a great experience. Too busy this year! Plus, my wrists won't take that kind of punishment for a whole month--I found that out by doing NaNo, of course.
ReplyDeleteTrying out a new genre, what a great idea for NaNo. I wouldn't have thought of that.
Good luck to all the NaNos everywhere!
Every time I sign up for NaNo, I'm hit by a strong compulsion not to write. Or to write anything besides my NaNo project. Otherwise, I think it's a fine endeavor.
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