Not sure what’s up with the #NaNoWriMo hate/backlash/etc. lately, but I have some THOUGHTS. And now that I’ve finished my 2019 NaNo project, I have time to tweet. Thread incoming.
I keep seeing complaints about NaNo stressing people out. Yeah, okay, NaNo is definitely not for everyone! It’s a ton of work in a short time period, and heck yeah, it can be stressful.
But no one’s forcing anyone to participate. If someone’s stressed about not being able to finish, that’s something they need to figure out. There are lots of ways to write a book, and no one way is better than others.
(But oh boy, if you want to talk stress, NaNo is nothing compared to the deadlines, bad news, and endless waiting in publishing. So if you hope to traditionally publish your NaNo project someday, BUCKLE UP.)
It’s not like NaNo is some kind of strict competition. If that 50k number doesn’t work for you, tweak that goal. If you don’t want to start a new project, work on something you’ve already got cooking. Redefine the rules for yourself.
If it stresses you out too much—if it causes actual harm in your life—maybe it’s just not for you, and that’s okay! Don’t cause yourself grief for the sake of a wordcount and a printable certificate, friends.
No one writing method works for all writers. NaNoWriMo is a prime example of that—but it’s also really helpful for a lot of people.
Personally, I write well under pressure. Deadlines keep me from procrastinating forever. NaNo is gold for me—it provides some accountability and it encourages the habit of daily drafting.
If I’m not doing NaNo, it can take me three months to draft 20k words. I get bogged down and distracted. But in November? Nah, gotta write. Gotta hit that wordcount goal.
NaNoWriMo gives me permission to draft quickly and freely. I’m a huge perfectionist, often to a disordered extent. NaNo forces me to let that go.
NaNoWriMo reminds me that I can always go back and revise. I CAN FIX IT LATER. I’m not sure how to explain the relief in that if you don’t have my brand of anxious brain.
(And wow, I will be fixing A LOT OF MESSES when I revise this year’s project. It is FESTERING.)
I skipped NaNo in 2015 and 2016. Then 2017 happened. Lost my dad. Got hit by Irma. Developed hurricane-related PTSD to go with my anxiety disorder. Neat.
I thought about doing NaNo. I had this idea for a queer YA romcom about physics and kidneys and chosen family. But on Oct 31 I told my therapist I didn’t think I should put that pressure on myself.
She looked at me and said, “Do it. I think you need to.” We agreed that I’d give myself permission to shoot for a lower wordcount if necessary, and I jumped in.
Writing was HARD that year. But I slogged through. If it hadn’t been for NaNoWriMo I STILL might not be writing. It got me back on track.
So when you call NaNo bullshit because it stresses people out... Know that for some of us it does the opposite.
I just... I love NaNoWriMo? So much? I might not always do it every year, but it’s important to a lot of people and I’ll never stop talking about how awesome it can be.
