NoNoNoNo – Why I hate NaNoWriMo

There are so many things to be wary of. Here are few of the things I worry about!

The Event

Weren’t you writing anyway? What’s the fuss about one month? Write every month, damn it!

The Goal

Tell me again, what are you writing? A complete novel? I mean, really?

If you search carefully through the NaNoWriMo website, you’ll find where it says a first draft of 50,000 words. Mostly, it talks enthusiastically about writing a complete novel.

That’s misleading–because you can’t write a novel in a month.

If you could, you’d be a prolific–probably romance–author with a large pool and servants.

Those people are aliens, you’re not.

The Truth

It takes a lot to write a novel. Most of it is rewriting, changing stuff, rewriting, realizing your mistakes, rewriting, noticing something so damned obvious it throws you into depression, rewriting, checking consistency, rewriting, persuading your early readers to answer your texts, rewriting, changing the sex of your main character, rewriting, adding back the murder or the zombie invasion you just took out, rewriting, stuffing the damn printout into a drawer, opening the drawer, rewriting. Finally, realizing you are finally so sick of it, it must be finished. At the very least.

I would give credit to the NaNoWriMo website for admitting this, but it’s buried on the “Now What?” page.

The Actuality

It takes a lot less effort to write the first draft of a novel. You might be able to do that in a month.

You do remember Anne Lamott telling you what you have is called “the SHITTY first draft,” don’t you? It’s called that for a reason. It sucks. It’s not the finished novel. It’s something else.

Calling this month ShiFirDraWriMo would be more honest, wouldn’t it?

I call for truth in abbreviations; it avoids unrealistic expectations.

The Warning

Which brings me to say do not publish what you write in November. It sucks, remember? It’s not a novel. It’s something else. Readers will be delighted to wait until you have done the rest of the work on it. Readers deserve the respect shown them by authors who complete what they start. Don’t throw it at them unfinished!

The Timing

And November? You’ve got to be kidding me!

There’s f***king Thanksgiving in it!

Last year, you said to your spouse/whatever, “Umm…Sweetie, I can’t help with Thanksgiving this year, I’m writing a novel.”
Still together? Thought not.

Oh, wait…are you reading all this while sitting in your parent’s basement? Okay, no problem. Go to YesYesYesYes. At least you have the free time.

I hate NaNoWriMo!

I’d love your comments, but please read both sides first. I believe them both.

[Photo credit: Nonsap Visuals]