Yes, it's that time of year again and many writers all over the world are asking themselves, 'Shall I?' or 'Shan't I?' For some, spending November taking part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has become an annual event but for others, it would be their idea of writing hell. Participants try to write a 50,000 word manuscript between 12 a.m. on November 1st and 11.59 p.m. on November 30th. In order to achieve this, they need to write an average of 1,667 words per day. Of course, this means that the emphasis on the length of the work and not on the quality and it is this fact that some writers can't cope with. The saying, 'Don't get it right, get it written', is the philosophy at the heart of NaNoWriMo. It encourages writers to finish a first draft so that it can be edited later. The project started in 1999 with just 21 participants; by 2010, over 200,000 people took part and wrote over 2.8 billion words! By 2015, this number had risen to 431,626 writers from 633 different regions and of those, 40,000 were winners, achieving the goal of 50,000 words. 
A few weeks ago, saga writer and NaNo buddy, Susanna Bavin, kindly invited me and other writers onto her blog to talk about our experiences of NaNoWriMo. You may read what we had to say HERE .
Have you ever taken part in NaNoWriMo? What did you think? A help or a hindrance to writing your novel?
Thank you for reading. You may also follow me on @JanBayLit and my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.
I'm in the 'my idea of hell' camp,Jan! I'm happy with the progress I'm making on my current story (22k) & although I have a goal of sorts - a completed draft by the New Year - if I don't achieve it, it won't matter. It takes as long as it takes & the idea of rushing leaves me cold. I enjoy a certain amount of editing as I go along & the NaNo mantra "Don't get it right, get it written" is anathema to me!
ReplyDeleteIf it works for you though - why not? Everyone is different with differing reasons for taking part. Interestingly, another friend of mine who is at the halfway point of her current WIP is doing NaNo for the same reason you are - to get that second half down!
I wish you both success! xXx
Thank you, Carol. I was thinking of you when I wrote 'their idea of writing hell'. :-) I know how disciplined you are about your writing and the results are stunning. I check each day's writing before starting the next day but generally, the major editing comes at the end. Good luck to your friend, too.
DeleteAll the best, Jan - I hope you have a productive month and most of all that you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteNaNoWriMo is a great idea, but I've not been tempted to try it yet. Maybe it's something I should have a go at though, especially as I usually write so slowly. Maybe next year...
Thank you, Sara. I'm a very slow writer and that's why I find NaNoWriMo focuses me to knuckle down and get writing. However, so far, three days in I'm very behind due to life things getting in the way! No worries; that is how it should be and I'll try and have a solid weekend writing. Yes, have a go next year and see what you think. :-)
DeleteSending you all good wishes, Jan, for another successful Nano. It isn't just about the word count - it's the boost it gives people to knuckle down and get writing on a daily basis. I hope your detailed plan will help you to get your novel finished this month. You have already worked so hard. Thanks for the link to my blog xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks for your good wishes, Sue, and it was a pleasure to put the link to your post about NaNo. Good luck to you, too.
DeleteI've done it before and I'm having another try this year.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Patsy. When I attempted my first NaNo in 2014, I remember you saying that everyone should do it at least once. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Jan Good luck with NaNo. I've done it a few times and always found it very inspiring to have the deadline. My approach was to try to keep up the word count each day so that I didn't get too far behind and be tempted to give up. Even if I didn't know what I was going to write the next day because it was so much on my mind, by the time I sat down at my computer my subconscious had worked it out for me. Even if a lot of what I wrote was rubbish at least it was something I could work on. Its hard work though and although I wanted to do it again this year, sadly I don't feel up to it and don't want to give myself any more pressure. I wish you all good luck though and hope you enjoy it. And that goes to anyone who has signed up for NaNo.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your good wishes. Yes, not getting too far behind is the answer, I think. I started slowly due to things going on but today I've manged to get back on track and realised there will be other days when I'll fall behind. However, the good thing is that I've written every day and feel I'm really back in the story.
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