NaNoWriMo ~ Why You Should Participate

     Here we are again! September has come and gone, and I am now back to posting! This month has been crazy busy. My sister's wedding went wonderfully; the whole thing was so beautiful. Now that it's over, life has calmed down just a tad. 

     Coming back to this blog has made me realize how much I've missed it! It's truly been a wonderful adventure, through articles, poetry, surveys, and contests; I can't wait to see what's next! 
     Now, it's time to get down to the subject of this article.
     NaNoWriMo.
     To some, this may seem like a random arrangement of letters that sounds a good deal like gibberish. To writers, however, it is the ultimate challenge of the year. It's an acronym (of sorts) for "National Novel Writing Month". 

     NaNoWriMo is a challenge that writers take all over the world every year. A challenge to pen a 50,000-word novel... within the month of November. Pretty crazy, isn't it? It sure is! That's an average of 1,667 words a day. 

     Are you up for the challenge? Can you pick up that weighty pen every day for a month? 

     Why You Should Participate in NaNoWriMo

    Doing NaNoWriMo isn't just to "see if you can do it". Neither is it something to impress your friends with. It's something that can help you grow as a writer, and being a good writer isn't just about the way you write. It's also about how you write. You could have a knack for world-building or a gift for plotting, but they will never be put into use unless you actually get them down on paper. There are skills besides that of the actual writing that are vital for growth. And NaNoWriMo can help you establish them.

    

    1. First, it can help you use time wisely. When you open your laptop knowing that you only have an hour of free time to write, chances are that you won't spend half of that hour scrolling through Pinterest. Time is of the essence. Understanding the true value of time will give you insight into the importance of using it well. To better explain this, let me paint you a picture: An impoverished foreigner, who has never held a dollar bill in their lifetime, is given a one-hundred-dollar bill. Not understanding it's worth, he may throw it here or there, stuff it in a drawer, or toss it in the garbage! However, when you explain the use of money and take him down Main Street to see all the glamour of the shop windows, suddenly that dollar bill will be much more to him than a scrap of paper. To quote Benjamin Franklin, "Remember that time is money". The truth of this goes down many more layers than it first seems. Both can be wasted, spent wisely, and even hoarded. If used correctly, the owner can reap great benefits. 

   

     2. How many times have you firmly set a goal for yourself, and when the time came to fulfill it... you just shrugged it off? I'm sure that the answer for many of us is "More than I'd like to admit". Holding yourself to a task requires perseverance and accountability. Participating in NaNoWriMo is a chance to establish those traits in your everyday tasks. Making yourself write a novel in a month is a big feat. Persisting in sitting down every day to jot down a set amount of words will help you to better understand what it really means to be responsible, even in the little things. 

    

    3. Perfectionism is one of the biggest roadblocks that writers will encounter in their journey. Personally, I have known it to stifle my writing for days, weeks, and even months! But when you are faced with the goal of 50,000 words in 30 days, perfectionism must be given an eviction notice. You will no longer have the time to satisfy its whims. The editing can and will be done in December. However, if you would like to go over some of your work during NaNoWriMo, it can be good to get that change of scene! Just be sure that you actually have the time to do so. 

    

    4. Lastly, NaNoWriMo is a huge opportunity for practice. Progressing in a skill is rather like a ladder. There is no way to get to the top without taking it one step at a time. If you work at it steadily, you will make it up there! Writing every day for NaNoWriMo gives a you chance to make large strides up that ladder (though, technically, nobody exactly can stride up a ladder....)

    At this point, you may be asking "Is there any reason why I shouldn't participate in NaNoWriMo?". Believe it or not, there may be. NaNoWriMo is a great way to grow as a writer (as already mentioned), but before you undertake this challenge, you should be sure that you can carry it out. Check your schedule for November and evaluate whether or not you can set aside each day to write. Also, if you already have a lot on your plate, you may not want to add the extra task of a word goal for every day. If you really want to do NaNoWriMo, but don't think you can write that much every day, you can set a lower word goal for yourself. Though it isn't traditional, it can be done. 

    Now, how exactly does one do NaNoWriMo? That is exactly what we'll be discussing next week. From preparation to troubleshooting, I'll make sure that you are ready to pick up that pen on November 1st.

    See you all next week!

    ~Madelyn