What’s a NaNoWriMo?

Yeah, I had no idea what it was until a couple of months ago. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writers Month. I’ve gotten into the habit of saying it by its abbreviated form, and when it slips out in everyday conversation, I am frequently greeted with raised eyebrows and strange, contorted faces.

I came across NaNoWriMo when I was looking for a tool to aid me in my writing skills: I had gotten so washed up in the current realm of Telecommunications and other classes at college that I just didn’t write anymore. And I love to write. I used to write frequently. So, at the book store, I found a slim volume book called No Plot, No Problem by Chris Baty. It was all about “Writing a Novel in 30 Days.” This intrigued me, so I bought it and read it. I was hooked on the idea instantly:

Baty argues that where most wannabe writers ultimately fail is that they get caught up WAY too much in preproduction of their books, and when they begin writing their precious novel, they are ultimately turned off by the lack of quality that inevitably fits into the rough draft. So, Baty suggests to write with a blind eye: Get an idea, and write it with very little planning. It’s all about a deadline: You must finish the book in one calender month–no more. It’s all about quantity, not quality. 50,000 words or more must be written.

The quality comes from the editing. After you finish your book, you then evaluate and determine if it is something worth continuing to work on. Then, you revise, add and edit. It’s all about polishing until it’s nice and shiny.

This idea really worked for me… I wrote a book in January. I wasn’t satisfied though. My first book wasn’t really something that I would want to work toward publishing. So, I scooted it aside and am well underway to write one in the calender month of March. People think I’m crazy. Most people who do NaNoWriMo (which is formally held in November–I’ll write one then too) only do it once a year–even then only 17% actually finish.

I guess its my destiny to be writer.