Deborah Ng
Oh yes. It’s November. All the writing blogs and forums are abuzz with NaNoWriMo talk, which is why I’m steering clear. Yes, I’m a NaNoWriMo grinch. Part of the reason is that I’m not a fiction writer and part of the reason is because I think it’s a little overblown.
What is NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and is probably the silliest anagram I’ve come across in some time. Say it out loud with me, “NaNoWriMo.” It doesn’t really flow, does it? To make it worse, perfectly fluent writers and bloggers are saying to each other, “Do you NaNoWriMo?” “OMG!!! Yes!!!”. It turns brilliant minds into text chatters.
The premise behind NaNoWriMo is to be able to write and complete an entire novel in a month. A whole novel, people. Not a chapter, not an outline, but an entire novel featuring plot, characters, dialogue and the whole shebang.
Why am I hating on NaNoWriMo?
So I think at this point it’s clear my annoyance at NaNoWriMo goes beyond a silly anagram. Why do I dislike it so much?
- Because most writers I know write novels to relax. I don’t think there’s anything relaxing about having to write an entire novel in 30 days. I know some writers who absolutely stress over their one month deadline and beat themselves up if they don’t make their goals.
- Because I’m not so sure one can write a good novel in one month. Let’s be realistic here, can you really write a good novel in a month? We often talk about employers who cause writer’s burnout by asking for unrealistic quotas and deadlines, and then we suggest we can write novels in a month? Good novels? I’m sure some can do it, but I’m willing to bet there’s a whole lot of not very good being churned out in November.
- Because creativity isn’t a page on the calendar. Really, if I feel the urge to write, I’ll do it. I don’t know about you, but it’s not always easy to write on command. Ideas don’t always come when we want them to. It’s hard enough to plan a blog post around a given title sometimes, I can’t see forcing out a novel.
- Umm….holidays? Could there BE any worse time to schedule a marathon of writing? Well, maybe December. Who decided November would be a good month to write an entire novel? Why not March? Nothing ever happens in March.
Enough of this silliness. If you want to write, write. You don’t need a month or a day or permission to be creative. Take your time and go for quality over quanity. Meanwhile, I’m going to go hide under a rock for the next 22 days.
Can you say “Bah! Humbug!”? Yes, I knew you could.
I hear you though. Every year I think about signing on, and ever year I think again and decide not too. I just don’t like the forced deadlines and artificial pressure. I have enough real pressure to deal with.
It may work for some people though – just as a motivation to do what they really want to do. And for those people, good. Go for it.
While I do agree on most of your points, particularly the part about turning “brilliant minds into text chatters”, NaNo does have one redeeming quality in my mind. One of the big reasons for it is to stifle that inner editor that bogs down so many people, to the point of simply not writing at all.
The pressure to get 50k out in a month is maybe the only thing that can force some folks to shut the hell up already and write. Granted, maybe those folks should take a hint and not be writing in the first place, but I like that it gives people an reason to do something they might not normally do.
I have to say . . . I think about it every year, too, and every year, I decide I just can`t deal with more challenges. I`m usually up to my ears in work anyway.
However, just because I don`t sign up doesn`t mean I don`t write. For me it`s a good reminder that I could and should write fiction (my first love that`s been pushed out of the way by paying non-fiction work) and so, I do. Just not on their schedule, but you`ll find me starting to write short stories and novels in November, when I am most inspired.
Perpetual NaNo participant and proud here! I have written over 10k words that I may not have ever written otherwise, and whether they’ll ever be published or not, so what?! It’s an accomplishment *to me*, it makes *me* feel more confident about my writing, it has sparked my creativity in ways my paying assignments rarely do, and it makes *me* happy (the most important point of all, to *me* at least).
Sorry, Deb. My cornflakes will not be p*ssed in by you or anyone
If it ain’t your cup of tea, fine, but I say whatever works is worthwhile.
I initially assumed the “nano” bit was like the next step down from “micro” and referred to some new form of blogging where you were limited to say 6 characters or less…
I think the photo above with the caption “anyone can be a writer if you set the bar low enough” is hurtful to the people who are actively participating in NaNo.
I don’t think drafting a novel in one month is any less realistic than some of the comments I’ve seen here where people say they write 8 articles in one hour. 1677 words a day isn’t unbearable and I think the energy we get from other writers working toward similiar goals is very similiar to the group energy one might find here at FWJ.
I’m using NaNo this month to spend an extra hour or so a day working on something that’s been on the back-burner. I’m thankful to the NaNo organizers for that boost.
@Michael – I agree, it may work for some people. My husband always says he doesn’t believe in Valentine’s Day because he doesn’t need a special day of the year to tell me he loves me. I guess I don’t believe in NaNoWriMo because I don’t need a special month to tell me it’s time to get writing.
@Nicole – I can sort of see your point. After all, I’ve been sitting on an almost finished ebook for the past few months. One of the reasons it’s taking so long though, is that I don’t want it to be forced. I think NaNoWriMo encourages writing that’s forced, not natural.
@Michelle – I think it’s wonderful NaNoWriMo is such a positive experience for you.
@Cherrye – This is exactly my point. Many of the same writers who turn their noses up and pooh poho those writers who claim they can crank out eight blog posts a day are the same ones writing novels in November. What’s the difference? It’s forced and we’re going for (in many cases) quantity over quality. However, I think it’s wonderful NaNoWriMo is a positive experience for you.
Rock on.
Genesis – Exactly. Writers should write when inspiration hits, not when others dictate they should be inspired.
I’m not about to go and try to convince you not to hate National Novel Writing Month, but I thought you might want to see a point of view on why it can be a really good thing.
I hate complimenting myself, but I do consider myself to be a fairly good writer. Unfortunately, I am also a first-class procrastinator. The worst part is, I procrastinate working on things that I actually want to work on as well as those that I don’t. I’ve wanted to write a novel for years. I have story ideas and characters galore, I have the writing skills, and I even have the time (sometimes). I just lack the “sit down and write the blasted story already” part – on my own.
Last November was the first time in my entire life that I’d managed to stick with a writing project for more than ten typed pages. Most had lasted about a page. I heard about NaNoWriMo and I thought to myself, hey, if I do this I might actually be able to get myself to write a whole book! It was, unfortunately, otherwise a flop. I got stressed with life and stopped writing for a couple days, and that utterly broke my momentum. I had 16k words done at the the middle of November, and I had 16k words done at the end of November. I managed to add about half to that between then and October to get up to 22k, and I still really want to finish the book, but it just wasn’t happening.
This year, I’ve tried again with another novel, and I set myself a nice easy to remember goal for each day of two thousand words instead of just aiming for the minimum. And for once, I’m keeping it! The first two days I was below 2k, but since I’d set a higher goal for myself than necessary I was still on target. It’s still only the first week, yes, but I’m making good progress, I have a story unfolding, my characters are developing, I’m on target to write a 60k first draft, and I’m feeling that my pacing is going well. I also think that after this month, I can set myself a continued word count goal for each day, if I’m not revising a draft I’ve finished, to work on one of the many books I still want to write. And, more importantly, I think I’ll be able to meet them.
Is this year’s novel a good book right now? Most likely not. But, I feel the plot is developing solidly and actually going somewhere, and it’s an entertaining story. With some revising and editing through the months after November, I think it might in fact be a good book, and that’s where one of the big points of NaNoWriMo comes in. I’m a perfectionist, and another major reason my writing projects would get nowhere is I would spend much too long on making everything written exactly the way I wanted it the first time around. The phrasing, the word choice, the punctuation, etc. As a result, it never got anywhere.
NaNoWriMo, because of the deadline and the “just write!” ideology, helped me force myself to write down the story well enough that I know what’s happening and what the general significance and impact of each scene is, without worrying about making sure it imparts all that information to the reader in just the right way. I started writing a real first draft for the first time in my whole life (including highschool and college English classes), and as a result I’m actually getting somewhere in writing for the first time in my life.
So yes, while the idea seems to be utterly worthless for you, there are lots of us who find it really helpful in learning how to sit down and actually write our ideas down on paper. NaNoWriMo is not about forcing yourself to write when you have no ideas so much as forcing yourself to write without worrying if what you wrote is crap – at least until the second draft.
Side note: Writing to relax? I don’t know, I’ve never found it to be relaxing. Invigorating, yes. Sometimes frustrating, yes. Relaxing? Nah. I read other people’s novels to relax.
Side-side note: I think the NaNoWriMo Despair Inc-ish picture is amusing, not hurtful, and I’m an active participant. Even if I was writing a piece of complete and unadulterated trash this year, I would find it amusing. Probably more so in that case, actually. I sort of feel bad for anyone who find a satirical image (with a core of truth, nonetheless) to be hurtful.
Holy crap, that was a lot longer than I thought it was! I’m sorry? xD
I’m participating in my first NaNo for a particular reason – I need deadlines.
I’m just not disciplined enough to sit down and write regularly – I always find too much to do. The thing is, I’m not at all worried:
- I spent time creating character sketches, so I already knew who would be in the novel.
- I outlined a plot, chapter by chapter, so I knew where the story was going on how it would get there.
- I wrote the first draft of my first novel in six weeks. That’s it – I just sat down and wrote it.
I guess it’s in the approach: if you think NaNo is going to produce a publishable masterpiece, my sympathies. If you think, however, that it can help you focus your blurring intentions, it might be the tool you need.
I have so many stories swimming in my brain – this is helping me get them onto paper. And I’ve got the next eleven months to edit and revise it before I start all over again.
Deb:
I totally respect your opinion. And as you said, you’re not a fiction writer. It wouldn’t make sense for you to do NaNo anyway.
But I do have a gripe with one thing you said. You mentioned that it would be forced to write with such a schedule, and that you haven’t finished your ebook because of that reason.
While that’s perfectly acceptable for casual writers, working writers (especially novelists) have to stick to a schedule. You take any successful novelist, like Stephen King for example or Meg Cabot, and they’ll tell you that they make themselves write a certain amount every day. Whether you ‘feel creative’ or not, this is like a business to them and they need to write. I think Stephen King says in ‘On Writing’ that he makes sure he write 5 or 10 pages each day. No questions asked.
This is what professional novelists do. If they waited around for creativity to hit them, they would never end up writing anything.
It’s good that people are getting inspired by this particular event. And really.. If people are willing and enjoying working crunch time for a month then kudos for them.
)
I think I’m a little bit of a stickler with this and would rather work crunch time on my own novel that I will eventually submit to an agent.. Taking a little more time to sell it to a Publisher rather then exposing it to the public and risking giving my ideas away.
You know.. I think they do it this time of the year because it’s that festive-holiday-season. Everyone’s in a good mood (Ahem) and feeling good and fluffy about everything.
NaNoWriMo.. NaNoWriMo.. (kinda sounds like a nana-rhino actually.. wow.. fun to say! New word for the tyke to learn
@ Kira – I meant the image could be hurtful if new writers – all excited and proud of their NaNo accomplishments – came here and found established freelancers making fun of them. Luckily I don’t take things that personally, but I am careful not to say things that could sidetrack new writers. We all have enough “against” us – we should support each other in our writing endeavors.
Dawne: I think you might have a misconception of what Nano is. We don’t share what we write with everyone. Not at all.
Don’t blame you in the slightest for feeling this way, but as a creative writer first and a business/professional writer a distant second, I’d like to offer some thoughts on the points you raised.
Writing novels to relax: That would be a cool attitude to have, and I wish I could. Most of the writers I’ve known write because, at some level, they have to. Call it therapy, a necessity, a curse; I’ve heard the need to write called that and much worse (considering some of the writers I’ve known, mental illness might be a good label). I’m sure there are writers out there who do what they do because they think being a writer is cool, but most of the ones I know are driven to it, in the same way that some people are driven to be doctors or police or scientists. Writing is many things for people like this, but relaxing is usually not among them.
Writing a good novel in one month: I absolutely agree with you on this one, but then again, that’s what revision is for. Sturgeon’s Law says 90% of everything is crap; I’d add a corollary that says the first draft of anything is crap. As the NaNoWriMo page points out, the point is to get it out, not to make it perfect the first time. Revising and rewriting is tough work (for me, anyway), but it’s easier than dreaming something up from scratch in the first place. I always though revising was like sculpting in that the point isn’t to impose a shape on the material, but to cut away the extraneous stuff and find the shape that’s already there. Then again, I’m not a sculptor.
Creativity isn’t a page on the calendar: Again, true. However, as writers as disparate as Stephen King and Roger Ebert have pointed out, the Muse tends to visit while working, not while lounging around hoping for it. I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo this year, and I used an idea that I’d had sitting in my mental file cabinets for a while to start, but every plot development I’ve come up with so far came about in the writing. I had the central idea on my own, but was having trouble placing it in context or tying it to details that would help build a world…until I started writing. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s a place to start.
Holidays: Yeah, I got nothing here. I would have nominated February, just because that’s a dank month around here, and a novel writing challenge would pass the time. Maybe a novella writing challenge?
Anyway, sorry for the long-winded post; I just wanted to offer some thoughts on your posting, Deb. Thanks for providing such an excellent resource here. Time for me to run off to a write-in!
I believe that it’s a bit short-sighted to say that the people who are digging on those who write 8 articles/hour are the same who are all up in the NaNo happiness. I say “live and let live”. I also say “bring on the NaNo pain”.
I’ll confess: I’m not a fiction writer; I’m a poet. I spend inordinate amounts of time agonizing over every word I put on the page. When you’re accountable to your friends for 1667 words/day, you need to drop that perfectionism mighty quickly.
The beauty of NaNo lies in the accountability: you’re forced to get something done because everyone is watching you.
I’ve found with NaNo that by forcing myself to write creatively everyday, I’ve improved my ability to write picturesque prose, I find myself viewing daily life through a more creative lens, and I can crank out ANY form of writing now that I’ve learned to write first and edit later.
And I’ll agree with Cherrye: that picture is pretty demeaning. Published novelists aren’t in an ivory tower. In fact, Trisha pointed out that the big dogs have a schedule. Even the books for beginning writers tell you to have a schedule. Elementary enough, eh?
If I took the “wait for creativity to hit” approach, I would get jack $h1t accomplished. I’m not particularly inspired by the “social skin”, but the anthropology paper needs to be handed in. Still, if I thoughtlessly crank out the pages, the writing process gets easier. I can force myself into a creative mindset.
..which ultimately, is what my life’s work is going to be about.
Well, I wouldn’t do NaNoWriMo because of the timing. With Halloween just before the event, Thanksgiving during it, and Christmas looming on the horizon, it sounds like a recipe for madness.
I suspect the greatest advantage is that it functions like a big writer’s group. There are a lot of good reasons to belong to a writer’s group, but the biggest advantage I’ve found is the combination of group energy and individual accountability. If the group is working, you really want to have something to show at every meeting, and it does help to keep you on track.
It doesn’t seem like an excessive amount of writing in one month, if the writer has an idea of what s/he wants to accomplish, and if s/he can clear a schedule. I wrote my dissertation in three weeks one summer, while my son was vacationing with his grandparents. It was a joyous time. I wasn’t teaching, writing anything else, or childrearing — just writing one long, complex, compelling book. I don’t know how many people can actually clear their schedule like that, but if they can, NaNoWriMo could be a very productive event.
@Trisha- Your right.. I didn’t know that, thanks for letting me know.
I do know also.. Some people enjoy having an impending deadline on such a large-scale project.. The short term reward of seeing their work in finished form can be very encouraging.
I’m guilty of this, actually. Sometimes it ends up helping me get the project done as I will have the main outline finished.. Motivating me to lay the finishing touches out until it’s satisfactory.
It is an interesting concept if the writer isn’t putting their work out there for public perusal before it’s marketed. If anything, like some others have said, maybe it’ll give that lil kick to aspiring novelists.. Pushing them to at least finish the outline of their story in an attempt of knocking out a full-fledged novel.
Good Luck and Happy November!
Wow, I must say I’m a bit disappointed with the hater tone here against NaNoWriMo. What’s NNWM ever done to you?
(The about page on the site: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano addresses all of your issues, disdain and concerns for it, though.)
I’m a fiction, screenplay and non-fiction writer, and I don’t blog, really. Just a post every week on a collective blog. But I guess I could hold the same disdain for blogging, although I understand its merit. Its value is in things like community, immediacy, self-challenge, all of the same things NNWM offers.
I used to be a bit skeptical about the ‘event’ myself, but realized: Anything that gets folks writing and creates a sort of support network should be encouraged, or at least tolerated.
Since it’s meant for procrastinators, and self-editors, the month’s more an excercise in discipline and stumping the inner critic. I, and many of my (well-published) writer friends, have done it numerous times. This year I can’t, but last year’s was so helpful, I was able to run through 30,000 words of a novel idea I had and in so doing, discovered the novel was actually a novella but in a rather different area. Had I gone at my usual pace, many more months (possibly a year) would have gone by before coming to this realisation. (Btw: The piece that (sort of) came out of it has been praised by several well-known writers and is in the process of being edited for publication.)
NaNoWriMo is what one makes it. It is not necessarily a competition, per se, but an opportunity for the individual writer to test her mettle, and challenge her own worst critic. If someone goes in thinking a real novel is coming out of it, he could be in for a disappointment. Or, like me, he could come up with a creative surprise.
It’s not about creating a perfect novel – it’s about redefining the artform within unnatural parameters to see how it changes YOU.
I participate in 24-Hour Comics Day every year, and every year, it’s an amazing experience of self-discovery. I have to think that you’re COMPLETELY missing the point of moving yourself OUTSIDE of a comfort zone to see how you creatively react. So far, I’ve created 4 24-page, 24 Hour comics over 4 years, and I think they’re beautiful for what they are. People tend to agree when they read them.
No one who does NaNoWriMo expects to hop on over to a publisher on December 1st, and to think that any writing that isn’t perfect, or isn’t done by a professional, isn’t worth doing really is an unfortunate perspective to have.
First of all Deb, I want to applaud you for speaking your mind openly.
In some ways I agree with you. I’m not a NaNoWriMo fan, have no interest in taking part in it, and don’t contribute to the buzz around it on my writing blogs. Business writing pays my bills, but I spend quite a bit of time working on fiction as well.
I do know it’s possible to make significant progress in a month. I outlined two novels this year (three total) – one this year took 30 days, and is so thorough it could certainly pass as more of a “draft.” The other, less detailed outline took just 9 days.
I will echo what a few others have said – waiting for creativity to strike when writing fiction can be a complete project killer. It really does come when you become more disciplined – when your mind is used to thinking about the story, sub-plots, characters, settings, etc. on a regular basis, it starts to come much easier. In my case, I kept myself to limited time periods, because I was blogging the experience for readers on one of my blogs – testing and comparing two novel outlining programs (and in the process found a combination of tools and tactics that worked best for me).
My own issue with NaNoWriMo is that it sometimes seems like people are so involved in being a part of it that the work itself comes across as second. What’s more – I always find myself wondering how many of those writers actually stick with those projects and remain motivated. In the end, you can’t wait for a big group of like-minded writers to motivate you for one month each year if you want to get anything done. You have to be able to pull that motivation out of yourself instead, and during any time of the year. While I sincerely hope those involved find their ways to keep going, I find myself every year doubting that most do.
Let’s see, where to begin. I expected only a couple of comments and now there are so many to respond to. I’m not going to attempt to do a case by case basis. Just answer it in a blanket to you all:
I expected most writers wouldn’t agree with me. I didn’t write my post for controversy sake but more because it’s so silly to me to see writers of all people talking about NaNoWriMo, an anagram which is irritating enough in itself.
I think it’s wonderful how many writers are motivated to sit down in November and write a novel. But why do you need a particular group, individual or your peers to tell you to do this? I suppose this is the part that bothers me most. Instead of saying “OK Writers! Let’s all write a novel this month because you’ll procrastinate or be too busy otherwise” why not offer support and motivation to keep working at it all year long. I’d throw mad support behind any group encouraging a page or two of well thought out prose a day over the idea you need a special month to be motivated to write a novel.
I get that many writes CAN indeed write a novel in a month. But is it a good one? Do the words flow as naturally as if you wrote when inspiration hit – as opposed to when someone told you to be inspired? Also, are writers participating just to say they were a part of NaNoWriMo or do they really, truly want to sit down and write a novel in 30 days?
If the issue is procrastination, NaNoWriMo is just a bandaid, and not a very sticky one at that. Procrastinators usually have a reason for putting things off and forcing them to write something when they’re not ready isn’t the remedy.
Now, if you enjoy writing and appreciate the challenge for NaNoWriMo, I can appreciate that. Really, I do my best cleaning about an hour before the inlaws get to my house, so I get the challenge thing.
Also, as far as hurting new writers, I would think it would be more beneficial to encourage them to stick to realistic goals and find a rhythm that works best for them over stressing over a novel for 30 days.
Anyway, believe it or not, I really am proud of the members of the FWJ community who participate and especially complete a novel during NaNoWriMo. However, I still maintain one should never need a special month to write a novel. Especially when a silly anagram is attached.
Well, this stirred up quite a buzz!
I’m a first time NaNo participant and this is my first attempt at a novel, as well. Why put it off? Why not now? Because it’s November and Christmas is coming up. That’s kind of a lame excuse. If I put things off because something was coming up, I would never do anything. So, I figured, I’m always busy and now is as good a time as any. Better, maybe, because of the support from other participants.
As for the novels being bad, like James Michener said “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.”
I hate Nano. Hate, hate. hate.
While I can agree with the idea of giving everyone who wants to participate a ‘reason’ to write, a goal, a deadline, and on…and on…
It isn’t for me. I want to take my novel seriously, even if it takes me another 10 years to finish it. Really. Trying to brute force/laxitive my brain into cranking out a novel in a month is counter productive. I love fiction. I don’t want to feel as if I have to blow tthrough 50,000 words and ruin my love of it.
Non-fiction is my job. Deadlines are a part of work. When my fiction becomes work instead of relaxation/play, I’ll give up writing for good.
Just want to pipe in with my 2 cents & say that NaNoWriMo– in all its silliness ESPECIALLY– has been extremely helpful in the one week I’ve been participating already.
I’ve gotten to be so blatantly deadline driven & come to resent spending additional time in front of the computer after my paid work is done, that I’ve had a hard time motivating myself to get going with fiction. I get the sense that you may not really understand (or care to, even– which is fine) the foundational differences between the two types of writing. I’m not weak for needing a formal push to get the words coming. And though what I’m producing now will, for sure, require several rounds of editing before it’s ready to show anyone, I’m looking forward to molding the bare-bones skeleton into something I’m really proud of.
Am I embarrassed that it took NaNoWriMo to get me to be productive with fiction writing? Yes, a little. But this push is just what the doctor ordered. And by embracing how unavoidably bad the first draft is going to be, I’m able to crank it out & gear up for revisions later– no time for the critic on my shoulder to pipe in. Is the choice of month a little arbitrary? Could I have just ripped off their posted goal and applied it to any month or time period of my choosing? Absolutely.
But come on– don’t condescendingly comment that you’re “happy for” participants in a process you so clearly disrespect. You’ve put a good number of readers on the defensive here– and not too accidentally. While you may not have consciously sought out to start a debate, you certainly aren’t open-minded to what a beneficial & personal growth process this can be– for this blog’s subscribers most especially– people like me who may have become too deadline-driven for their own good in some cases & appreciate a similarly structured approach applied to their creative pursuits.
Deborah, it took me years to become as confident as I am with journalistic writing, and this process is helping me do the same in an entirely different realm. In a year or so, I hope to be like “most of the writers [you] know” penning novels to relax, but right now it’s hard work to get comfortable with it. I’m a little bummed you took time out of your day to apply unnecessary negativity towards something that, quite frankly, I’m embarrassed I need, but am hugely appreciating nonetheless.
I really hope you bring a helpful, positive tone back to your posts. It’s the reason I subscribe & enjoy this blog so much!
I did NaNo last year, and that was the first time I ever finished a project of that length. I do better with deadlines and it was a tangible goal.
The nice thing about writing that much in such a compressed time is the sense of urgency with which my story took form. If I were to have written the same story in say, three or five years, sure, maybe I’d finish it…if I didn’t get distracted meanwhile.
And I had years and years and lots of abandoned stories…until I did NaNoWriMo.
It’s a fun contest, and sure it’s a little stressful, but it’s been worth it for me.
Sarah Gruen wrote Water for Elephants as a NaNoWriMo novel. She described writing at such a rapid pace as “catching words in buckets”. I love that quote!
@Sarah – I am not being condescending when I say I am happy or proud of anyone in this community – because I am. I may not approve of NaNoWriMo or agree with it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want every one of you to succeed.
@Jaqueline – I like that quote too.
@Julie – So you know how I feel then?
I agree with a lot of what Sarah wrote, particularly the part about your taking “time out of your day to apply unnecessary negativity” toward NaNo. I think this is what has disappointed and disturbed many faithful readers and pro-NaNo commenters most.
Hating on our personal writing processes for no apparent reason is unnecessary, as Sarah said, but it’s also mean-spirited, and in no way offers the kind of support for our writing careers that we have come to appreciate here at FWJ; trying to then cover up that sentiment with “but I hope you succeed!” is disingenuous at best, if not, as Sarah wrote, downright condescending.
Along with Sarah, I hope the tone of FWJ will turn back to one of support for *all* kinds of writing and writing processes soon–without arbitrary judgments on the right way to write.
P.S. I also like Brandon’s response, and I will ad about the month of November as the month of choice: not everyone has families/family obligations that make November any busier than any other month; in fact, some people who don’t have families or who live far away from them may actually embrace the idea of being part of something larger than themselves that permits their mind to wander to different worlds, particularly around the holidays.
P.P.S. Sorry for the typos, but I’m only commenting on a break from writing my NaNo novel
@Michelle – As you know from following me throughout the years I am very supportive of all the writers visiting here. Does that mean that I have to be in agreement of everything that comes along for writers? No. Does it mean I don’t believe they should succeed because they’re doing something I wouldn’t? Not at all.
What a boring place this would be if everything was rosy and cheerful day in and day out. Now I’m not saying it should be a bastion of negativity, but I do like to call things as I see it. This time it’s NaNoWriMo, maybe next month it will be PLR writing or writing for free. Each time I write about one of those, I also get a group of people who disagree.
I think it’s my support for writers, especially new writers, that wants me to encourage them to write their novels (or anything) at a pace that is realistic for them and to set realistic goals. Every year at the end of November I see comments on forums, here and email from writers who are down on themselves for not being able to write a novel in 30 days.
Yes, I do hope you succeed. Just like you would wish anyone luck who is doing something you don’t necessarily agree with but you know is that person’s dream. Have you ever known me to be insincere in my wish to help writers?
I am always supportive of your writing career, and I don’t believe NaNoWriMo does anything to boost one’s career at all. Because I don’t agree with it doesn’t mean at all I’m not in support of all writers. It just means I have a different way of looking at things.
Am I only supposed to write “How to find the best keyword for your articles” type posts?
Michelle, this is a place for writers to relax. Typos are never counted.
Sorry, Deb, I just disagree with you, especially that NaNo “doesn’t do[] anything to boost one’s career at all.” Tell that to Sara Gruen (and any number of other authors we don’t know about who started or worked on their novels during NaNo *or* who made contacts with other writers and found work through them).
Perhaps since you’re not coming from a fiction background, you don’t appreciate how important it is for creative writers to get something, *anything* down on the page, whether we feel like writing or not (as many previous commenters here have noted, citing no less than Stephen King as a source).
I write a lot of nonfiction (it’s how I make my living), and believe me, it’s *not* the same process as writing fiction. The motivation it takes to sit down and write something you may never get paid for is difficult enough to harness; I simply find it disturbing that you went out of your way to discourage writers from using any and all motivation they can muster in order to get started or to continue with backburner projects.
I don’t doubt that you want readers to succeed, but I think respecting our writing processes would be a great way to show your sincerity.
Moreover, in all of this back and forth, I haven’t read anything from you saying, “Really? It works for you? Well, hey, if it works for you, maybe I’m not getting the full picture.” Admitting the possibility that even though it wouldn’t work for you (*if* you wrote fiction), it might work for others is a much more credible premise than a one-sided rant on NaNo, IMHO; a pros and cons post about NaNo, for example, is something more like what I’d expect to see here–much as you’ve done with other controversial writers’ issues.
I do, however, appreciate the free pass on typos (and wish I could include my comments today and yesterday in my NaNo novel)
Oh, and my final thought…NaYes!!!!!!!
I came to this site from another that recommended it for tips on freelancing. The first article I find, though, is this one.
Of course everyone’s entitled to an opinion, and you’re entitled to yours on NaNo, even though you’re not a fiction writer and have never tried it. I’ve now formed an opinion on you, and I think I’ll find my tips elsewhere. It troubles me that you speak authoritatively on a subject of which, you yourself admit, you are wholly ignorant. How can I trust you?
Also, I think the graphic up there is just mean-spirited.
Thank you Lucretia. Have a great day and sincere good wishes in all your writing endeavors.
I’d also like to offer some clarification. Just because I say I’m not a fiction writer doesn’t make me “ignorant” to the process. I’ve tried on many occasions to write fiction and novels. Moreover, I worked in publishing for over a dozen years, both book and magazine, with several of those years as an editorial assistant. I do know what goes into writing books and novels. So know, I’m not ignorant of the fiction writing process. I just don’t believe we should be assigned a specific month to write and complete a novel.
Deb, I don’t mean to belabor this as you’ve made your stance abundantly clear, but if you have, in your words, “tried” to write fiction, then perhaps before throwing NaNo under the bus, you should give it a try first?
I didn’t think I could do 50,000 words in a month either (and maybe I can’t!), but if we didn’t at least try things every time they seemed impossible, where would we be? You’ll never know if you don’t try, and isn’t *that* one of the main messages this site strives to transmit to writers?
Or, in other words, Yes We Can!
Btw, if anyone here would like to friend me at the NaNo site, I’m bleedingespresso here:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user%252F204667
I’m a bit behind in the daily word count, but I’ll catch up
I’m participating this year. The point is to get yourself up and writing. Even if it’s not “good” when it’s done. It can be edited and cleaned up and made better. They’re not looking for publishable material, they’re looking for an exercise to challenge writers. I mean sure, you’re going to have some horrible novels in there (mine is one of them, I’m sure) but you know what? It just supposed to be for fun and a challenge. There’s no real reason to bash it or hate on it. If you don’t like it, that’s fine. But don’t spoil it for other people by giving all these reasons why it’s not a good idea because you don’t like it or think it’s a good idea.
For the record, I’m against any mass production of art as a concept. If people want to write a novel, Mazeltov! Do it whenever you can, not when it’s popular.
Bloggers are mostly opinion writers and Deb is writing her opinon. I’m amazed at how many people are saying they will no longer come here because she doesn’t share the same opinion. When you consider how much she’s done for us through the years, it’s silly.
Asking Deb to take back her opinion because she doesn’t share ours is silly too.
@Bleedingespresso – you are my new NaNo buddy
I’m very behind on my word count, but I’m not terribly ashamed: I went into this with a vague idea and incredulity that I could write fiction.
@Kelly – I don’t recall anyone asking deb to recant. We did ask her to not be demeaning and rude (for the sake of blog hits). Plus, her argument against NaNo is so weak that if any of us desired to be equally rude, we could shoot down each point. Turns out, that wouldn’t really bolster our argument against rudeness.
The reason why people don’t want to come here anymore is not because Deb isn’t crapping sunshine and flowers–people are leaving because they don’t agree with her ethics. Blogging is a fabulous forum for anyone to share his/her opinion, but intentional rudeness for the sake of traffic is weak. It’s not about an honest opinion–it’s about profit (monetary or otherwise).
Ethics are pretty important to me, and I’m guessing that a lot of the angry people reading this post are pretty hip on the ethics thing themselves. I won’t claim to speak for them, but I know this is why I’m leaving as well. I’m not staying subscribed to something that doesn’t share my belief in ethics.
I’m am staying subscribed to Jodee’s and James’ bits, because I like those bits. So sue me.
Anyway, my best to Deb–I’m sure that she’s a fabulous person and I am BY NO MEANS attacking her personally.
If this blog was about traffic or money I would have shut it down years ago. In the three years I’ve been doing this, it’s always been about the writer. It’s very rare I make a profit.
I find it interesting this one post (out of thousands written) is causing so much judgment against me – especially after three years of sharing what I know and providing you with leads. I’m not knocking the writers, I’m knocking the concept. Just as you’re not attacking me personally by saying I’m only writing for traffic (without knowing my motivation) I’m not attacking you by saying what I did. I’m not being rude. I wrote a blog post listing reasons I don’t care for NaNoWriMo.
Rock on. Good luck with your novel.
@Deb – you have serious writers reading your blog. People who make money from writing. These same people are participating in NaNoWriMo. And what is your picture caption:
“Anyone can be a writer if you set the bar low enough”.
I think that says enough about _this blog’s_ attitude to its readers.
And to clarify once more, I don’t take issue with YOU. Your blog’s ethics and your ethics might not match–beauty of being a writer
Your approach to blogging is your business: I don’t have to agree with it, but it really is none of my business. All I know is that I don’t agree with what I see going down.
I said it before, it wouldn’t be YOU that I’m boycotting. I ask that you please kindly stop insulting my intelligence further–if logic didn’t dictate that you were webmaster, the tell-tale site theme is a dead give-away. Let’s please keep things civil. In any case, what a terrible world this would be if our entire beings were comprised of our writing! I believe that a lot of intelligent readers recognize the difference between a person and their creations.
I stop by some of your other blogs for a good read, because as it turns out, you (personally) are a good writer. You’re probably also a pretty fab business woman to see such a constant growth on this site (and perhaps many more!
)
Even so, I just can’t bring myself to read this portion of such a great website.
Oops, ignore my last comment! Deb changed her response to me before I sent mine in
@Deb – Maybe the picture is what threw a lot of people for a loop? I can giggle at the concept, but I think it turned personal when I looked at the picture AND THEN read the post.
I guess the post as a whole wasn’t clear to me that it was JUST about the concept.
This is my first visit to this site; I must have blown in on the tornado…
I’m an aspiring but inexperienced writer, and a first time NaNo-er. That said, I wasn’t offended by Debs’ post.
I can see the flaws in NaNo. I’m using it as a means for me to do something I want to do. It so happens it’s the right time for me and I would probably have got into some serious fiction writing this month anyway. By joining NaNo I get built-in support, a bit of structure that I’m finding helpful and I’ve been able to silence the inner critic that normally turns my potential novels into abandoned short stories without a twist.
If I don’t make it, I won’t be down on myself. I realise it’s a huge challenge. I realise that my writing ambitions won’t stop at the end of November.
I understand why this debate has sprung up, and I can see both sides of the argument. My view is that doing NaNo is an extreme immersion into fiction writing. It’s bound, therefore, to create extreme reactions (for and against). Right now, it’s working for me and I’m keen to see where I end up on 1st December. Most importantly, I’m learning new skills that will stand me in good stead in my future writing career (most importantly to let the first draft unfold and edit later).
Looking forward to discovering the rest of your site…
I seriously can’t believe how upset people are getting over this post or a picture. What many of you are forgetting is this…outside of this blog and the internet, not to mention the whole ‘writing’ community at large, you have so many people joining up with this Nano thing and claiming to be ‘writers’.
My very first experience with the deal was someone told me, ‘It doesn’t matter if you just write 50,000 words of nonsense, you just have to write it’. If that isn’t setting the bar low, what is?
Please, don’t come back and tell me this was one person acting stupid, it happens all of the time. I’ve heard it. All I wrote before jumping into non-fiction was creative fantasy and horror. I’ve run into more than my fair share of the nutters who think like the first one did. (er, not you guys nutters, the one who told me about writing nonsense)
But, I mean, come ON. You’re going to flounce and stop coming to a blog with great advice, job leads, and real community because Deb doesn’t like NaNo? Because she posted a picture that got your M.C.’s panties in a knot? (admit it, that’s a cute analogy)
You’re not hurting Deb. You’re not hurting the rest of us who think that this month of novel writing gets too silly. You are hurting yourself…and admit it, you won’t stop coming by. You’ll peek in from time to time to see who said what to you comment, quietly read the other posts, and then eventually comment again, even if you use another name.
Oh, and the ‘you’ is a general one. This isn’t aimed at any one person. Just calm down, write your novel, and drink some good Chai. It’ll all be over in a few weeks.
@Deb- Oh yeah, I know.
Kind of surprised to see folks wanting to boycott a blog over a post. Frankly, I’ll probably stop by more often after reading this, even though I don’t agree with everything Deb had to say. Frankly, I’m not a fan of the echochamber (one of the reasons I left PR for full-time freelance writing), and I have a lot of respect for any blogger out there who is willing to speak their mind, even if what they want to say may not be popular.
Deb isn’t the kind of blogger who needs to be controversial suddenly to bring in traffic or ad revenue. Might the image be distasteful to some? Sure, and I can understand that.
From the perspective of a writer that works hard and does dabble in fiction personally, I can see how it can be offensive to imply someone isn’t a real writer just because they may not be setting the bar at a finished project just yet.
But I can also see it from the other side – does committing to something for a month really make you a “writer?” As someone who works hard full-time as a writer, AND trying to reach out to help new freelance writers in the process to launch sustainable careers (a goal Deb and I seem to share), it can be seen as equally offensive for anyone and everyone to think they’re a “writer” just because they’re told they can be one each November.
Now I’m not saying one view is right and one is wrong. But I’m straddling the fence personally, and can see completely valid points to both sides. What I don’t see is any reason for people to let emotion now drive them away from future conversations about this wonderful job we’re all doing in one way or another, whether that be copywriting, magazine writing, or novel writing.