Comments on: Writing a novel? Don’t do NanoWriMo

By: Patrice Sarath

Patrice Sarath — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:12:15 +0000

That’s a good point — while writing a first draft without the internal editor is useful, we have to remember that we’re not just piling up word count.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:45:27 +0000

Thank you! Every time I do Nano I forget halfway through what my plotpoints are! Very inspiring. Slow but steady…

By: Patrice Sarath

Patrice Sarath — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:58:19 +0000

If I’ve learned anything, it is that the ways we get words down are as unique as each writer. I’ve done my time of chipping away at a draft, and also the high-speed wordcount that I term, “writing with my eyes closed” (because I’m going so fast, there’s no time for second guessing.)

I’ll never be a NaNo enthusiast (my reasoning still stands), although I understand a bit more why people use it as a tool.

Welcome, Patricia! Thanks for commenting.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:04:44 +0000

Every writer approaches the craft differently. Some painstakingly chisel away at a few hundred words a day, while others produce a waterfall of verbiage in a short time span and revise it later. A first draft for a novel of about 100,000 words is doable in about a month, but whether the result will be workable depends on talent and fortitude. Of course, a first draft is not likely to be publishable material, but that’s where rewriting comes in.

By: In Gordath Wood: Writer Patrice Sarath » Tobias Wolff at Southwestern University

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:05:52 +0000

[...] think that because we “know all these words” we can write. This is part of why I think NaNo is a problem because it devalues the process and turns it into a stunt. But here’s the deal. [...]

By: D

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:10:22 +0000

And a brief follow-up, because I commented before reading the entire thread (sorry).

There are working writers who do NaNo. A few, after strenuous revision, have actually published the books they drafted during NaNo, and not necessarily with Publish America.

By: D

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:01:40 +0000

Shlomi is right. OLL doesn’t tell anyone they have to quit at 50,000 words. 50,000 words is the minimum required to “win” NaNoWriMo.

Fred Stanton is also right. The two main reasons people who want to write don’t are (1) because they can’t commit and (2) because they want a first draft to be perfect. NaNoWriMo defeats both of these obstacles. Maybe… well, probably… your NaNo novel will suck (at least the first draft will). Most definitely, the 50,000 word goal is too short to be a true novel.

But the pros, I think, outweigh the cons, unless you depend on writing for your income and you’re broke. NaNo is extremely fun if you enjoy writing, and it gets people writing, which, last time I checked, was still the single most important part of the writing process.

By: Shlomi

Shlomi — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:16:50 +0000

One more comment (after you cried ‘uncle’): NaNo has a MINIMUM of 50,000 words. But there’s nothing preventing a person from taking up the gauntlet and writing more. The Austin NaNo group has many writers who write more (I’m editing one that came in at 81,000+ at the end of the month, and has grown to 120k).

Why can’t we do both? A 50k jumpstart and 250 words a day to polish it off?

Just sayin’

By: Patrice Sarath

Patrice Sarath — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:26:02 +0000

THIS has gotten out of hand. Write how you wish to write! Go forth and NaNo! Have at it!

My God, all I did was offer a counterpoint to the NaNo overhype and provide some really good, serious writing advice, and you kids are acting like I’m taking away your toys!

Write, just write. How ever you do it. Write. Stop posting here. Just write.

But if a ONE of you comes back and says “HAH! I finished my NaNo novel and I’m publishing it through iUniverse or Publish America!” I swear I will not be responsible for my actions.

By: Ray Claus

Ray Claus — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:58:03 +0000

Patrice,

As you say, “WORKING novelists …” What about novelist wannabes?

There isn’t a National Play the Violin Month or a National Oil Painting Month because I guess no one has thought of implementing them yet. But why not? It sounds to me like you may be equating WORKING on something during a period of time as equivalent to LEARNING and PERFECTING such a discipline. For example, what if there WERE a National Play the Violin Month, for all those people out there who have been saying, “Someday, I’d like to learn how to play the violin”? Of course they wouldn’t learn everything they need to know about how to play the violin and become instant masters in one month — that wouldn’t be the point. But if instead people could use such a month as an incentive to get off their duff and try practicing a violin an hour a day every day for a month, at least they’d get a taste of what it’s like, and perhaps begin the discipline of practicing every day.

If you professional, experienced writers don’t want to use NaNoWriMo — fine. No one’s forcing you to. But if others may wish to take on the NaNoWriMo Challenge, why should that bother you? You are of the opinion that people should not partake in the Challenge — fine. But why can’t you accept that others may be of the opposing opinion?