Doesn't matter

Last time, we talked about NaNoWriMo and why it’s currently so popular. But of course, there’s another side of the spectrum as well, quite obviously. There are those of us who simply cannot participate in NaNoWriMo, and those of us who wouldn’t dream of joining in either way. And those are the people I want to talk about today. Those silent few who stand against NaNoWriMo for one simple fact: we can’t write like that.

Why it doesn’t matter if you NaNoWriMo or not

Many times, as of late, writers have spoken to me as though NaNoWriMo is their way of life, the only opportunity they have in which to sit down and write. And if that really is the case, then that’s just sad. I certainly hope they’re lying, if only to themselves. Because NaNoWriMo isn’t supposed to be the only time of the year when you write. It’s supposed to be something to push you to write, to get started and get going, but not a crutch to hold you in one place all the time.

In prior years, I used to say that I participated in NaNoWriMo, but really, that’s not the case. I’ve never done it. Granted, I also don’t consider 50,000 words to be a full length novel, and I prefer full length novels. I would have to write twice the amount of the average participant in order to reach my goal, which in a full schedule is sometimes just not possible.

But really, the thing is, it doesn’t matter.

Like I said before, NaNoWriMo is a great tool. But that’s all that it is. It’s a stepping stone, a building block, to get you to where you’re comfortable writing every day. That’s what it’s supposed to be.

Don’t use it as a crutch.

If you’re an avid NaNoWriMo-er, and you constantly take part in the competition, I hope that you hear me. Some of us just can’t write like that. We can’t get a whole book out in a month, because our brains just don’t work that way. But you know what we can still do? We can still write. And we will. Just not within the confines of the NaNoWriMo schedule. We’ll write throughout the year, whenever we have time to do so, and we’ll write works that are far more cohesive than anything I’ve ever seen fresh off the NaNoWriMo high.

And no, maybe our style isn’t for beginners. If you’re just starting out, try NaNoWriMo. It’ll help you to get the words on the page and get going, give you a boost into the world of writing. But if you’ve been writing for a while, then it’s time to step back from participation in NaNoWriMo. It’s time to write outside the regime, outside their standards. Write something more, something connected and cohesive, something well thought out and less in need of a major overhaul.

But the main thing is, it doesn’t matter, either way. As long as you’re getting words on the page, as long as you’re doing it, you’re writing, it doesn’t matter if you participate or not.

Me? I’m not participating this year. I have a new novel that I’m working on, but I have far too many projects right now to commit myself to writing so much of this thing in less than a month. With a story so full of dualities, I need to devote more time to it than that.

That, my friends, is maturity in writing. I knew, this year, that I didn’t have a story I could devote to NaNoWriMo. I knew that. I wanted to join in, yes, even in the limited capacity that I'd done in years prior, but I couldn’t do that to my story. But you know what? I’m still writing. Little by little, bit by bit. And you’ll still see another of my books hit shelves next year.

[love]

{Rani Divine}