NaNoWriMo - Does it help?

[Alex-Jay]

Now that we're only a few months away from November and most plotters will be starting to plan their project, I want to see if anyone finds it helpful.

For me, it's a 50/50 success.

For the past 3 years, I have tried. For the last 3 years, I have failed to reach 50k words. My first attempt did turn into a novella of 19k words, so I won't argue with that attempt. But otherwise, I tend to get too stressed out by the numbers.

I mostly return to NaNo for the forums. Hundreds, if not thousands, of amateur writers coming together to fight through the WTF moments. It's messy, usually involves a few breakdowns, and definitely throws far too many new plot ideas into my head.

Does anyone else have these issues? Or perhaps some suggestions on avoiding the dread of seeing your word count?

 

[Em_Beech]

I haven't completed it in the past but I'm working to daily word goals at the moment for my current project. I'm finding the structure and holding myself to time deadlines much more productive than previous attempts.

I found in the past I tried to start a project from scratch with it and I found the 50k word count goal to be too daunting before even starting. I'm aiming to use NaNoWriMo this year to finish out my current project so I won't be starting my work from 0 but using the process to keep myself on track.

 

[sknox]

I've done it twice. First time did the 50k. Second time I just sort of quit partway through. Like Alex-Jay, the whole number thing was more stressful than helpful. But also, I am a writer. I always have one or more projects underway. November is never a completely open month. Nor is July or any other Camp month. IOW, it looms as more of an interruption than an opportunity.

But as a new writer back on the first project, it was at least worth finding out what it took to get to 50k--more or less total dedication of all free time.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Don’t let me get started on how much I hate Nanowrimo. Honestly. Long term members will weep and say not again....

 

[The Big Peat]

Done it once. Wrote 50k or so words that may or may not get used someday, as I'm no longer sure it fits what I want to write.

But it was useful that one time. Would it be useful again? I dunno. The useful bit to me was being part of a group cheering each other on.

 

[Cathbad]

What I dislike most about it are the braggarts.

Just because you typed 200,000 words in 5 days, doesn't mean they made a good, coherent story!

Plus I hate to be told I have to do - anything!

 

[Brian G Turner]

Why wait till November?

 

[Dragonlady]

I may make use of it this year because I'm struggling to find the time to write, and it would be nice to have a month where I set other things aside and focus on getting words down.

 

[The Bluestocking]

I've never done it. With my 2 jobs, it's difficult squeezing time out to write as it is and I'm already the slowest writer in my writing group (who collectively have the patience in a saint waiting for my slow subs). NaNoWriMo would just added unneeded stress on top of everything else.

 

[The Big Peat]

Why wait till November?

Because we don't have the social element of it available right now and that's the strongest part of it.

That said, nothing's stopping a writing group deciding to all go mad for it at the same time.

 

[Phyrebrat]

I’m thinking of taking a break from the wip this November and use it to do nano on a new idea I’ve had.

I’ve not done it before but I know it works well for @Mouse who’s often tried to get me to do it.

Like all things in writing - it varies (nano) from person to person.

pH

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

It works well for me, too, mostly because I have my family trained after 4 years of it in a row: November is 'leave me in peace or die' month. The only time I didn't manage my 50k was the year I was using it to finish off a WIP, so I stopped when I finished.

Having said that, I can totally see why it doesn't work for everyone. I'm massively prolific at the best of times, but getting time to write is always my difficulty, so I just use NaNoWriMo to force myself a bit of space and time.

 

[sknox]

I do have one complaint about NaNo--Thanksgiving. That blows a pretty big hole in my month, especially since we usually travel to another city for it. Camp NaNo worked better for me. When I did it.

 

[Mouse]

I’m thinking of taking a break from the wip this November and use it to do nano on a new idea I’ve had.

I’ve not done it before but I know it works well for @Mouse who’s often tried to get me to do it.

Do iiiiit.

Yes, it worked for me. I got a published novel out of it (Space Mac).

 

[Plucky Novice]

I've found it useful to boost my output in the company of others. I don't worry about hitting 50k words. The regional social aspect is great, without it I wouldn't have met other writers I can go for a coffee with.

You virtual lot are great but online support and discussion only goes so far...

 

[Laura R Hepworth]

I've wondered the same. Never tried it yet though, maybe someday. It's always bugged me that they encourage people to write without editing. I get that they want to encourage writers to write quickly so they can learn to write to a deadline, but, as was mentioned by @Cathbad, just because you wrote a lot of words, doesn't mean they're any good.

 

[sknox]

I've wondered the same. Never tried it yet though, maybe someday. It's always bugged me that they encourage people to write without editing. I get that they want to encourage writers to write quickly so they can learn to write to a deadline, but, as was mentioned by @Cathbad, just because you wrote a lot of words, doesn't mean they're any good.

True, but it also doesn't mean they're bad. [any bad? if there's "any good" why isn't there "any bad"?]

The headlong rush is aimed mainly at those who self-edit themselves to a standstill, those who never get beyond Chapter One or even Page One. It's also aimed at those who theretofore wrote only fitfully, to get them into a habit. Certainly my first Nano (which was Camp) helped me there. I had just retired and had for years been writing a little here and a little there, very disconnected. While the story I wrote then remains unfinished, the habit of writing regularly has stayed with me.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Writing tends to be a solitary pastime. Nano ameliorates that. As a freelancer I look forward to days when we all meet up in HQ and exchange tips on practice. It makes me feel less like and island and more connected, not to mention inspired.

I think there’s probably a large element for us in nano that speaks to that. Sure we prefer to write in silence etc but we’re at our best as social creators.

IMO. Of course

pH

 

[Laura R Hepworth]

True, but it also doesn't mean they're bad. [any bad? if there's "any good" why isn't there "any bad"?]

The headlong rush is aimed mainly at those who self-edit themselves to a standstill, those who never get beyond Chapter One or even Page One. It's also aimed at those who theretofore wrote only fitfully, to get them into a habit. Certainly my first Nano (which was Camp) helped me there. I had just retired and had for years been writing a little here and a little there, very disconnected. While the story I wrote then remains unfinished, the habit of writing regularly has stayed with me.

Also true, I'm sure some are very good. You can certainly get too mired down with self-edits and forget to actually progress. However, the flip side is going too far the other way and caring only about the quantity of words you've written over the quality of words written. It's learning to balance the two that I think should be emphasized rather than just spit the words on the page so you meet the word count. Both my brother and I are working on novels and there's been a friendly contest between us over who would finish first; so, when either of us would tell our family about how many more words we'd written, our family's response is always to teasingly ask 'but are they good words?'. A joking reminder to write well, and not just a proliferation of words.

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

Both my brother and I are working on novels and there's been a friendly contest between us over who would finish first; so, when either of us would tell our family about how many more words we'd written, our family's response is always to teasingly ask 'but are they good words?'.

That's funny. My dad and my sister and I were doing the exact same thing a couple of years ago--down to the "good words" joke, I'm not kidding. We were all writing at the time, and we created a graph that compared our average daily output of words, and even projected our different completion dates based on an estimation of the final word count. That was cool. Updating our daily word count, and watching the graph change in response...not to mention the friendly competition involved...yeah, I can see NaNoWriMo being a very similar thing.

(I've never participated. Considering doing it unofficially, just for my own curiosity.)