Why Do I Hate NaNoWriMo? (FAQ)

Short answer:

I don't. My opinion is much more complicated. Read more than that one article!

Long answer:

I know the Internet is where nuance goes to die, and people become super stabby fucknoodles when it's their sacred cows receiving anything but adulation, and that NaNo is basically a cult that you can besmirch at your own peril, but sometimes the feedback on this issue really makes me wonder if people have done their due diligence before returning fire. I mean, people will read the one viral article I've written about NaNo, which might as well be titled "my problems with NaNo," and literally write me to ask: "what's your problem with NaNo?"

And I'm all like: "Bro, do you even bullet-point?"

I get that sometimes single articles go viral without necessarily the context of a broader body of a writer's works, and that people will respond to that article without knowing that I write from the persona of an evil version of myself that lives in the basement and loves NaNo (by the way if that metaphor is too much for you, I'm not sure what to say). But I often give advice about how to survive the month.

Like 15 bits of advice if you're doing the event.
Or like what to do in the week or two right before.
Or how to handle it when you're in week two and the bloom is off the rose.

Or some advice to finish that last week of slog and cross the finish line.
Or some writing exercises to help you decide what your pace is going to be.
And some last words of wisdom right before you start.

And even though I have answered this question, or questions quite a bit like it, a couple of different times before it literally became "frequently asked."

And even though I have a "NaNoWriMo" tag that goes to all these articles, and a search bar where one could punch in "NaNoWriMo," and the "recommended articles" at the bottom are other NaNo articles I've written.

I mean it's not like I sit around and expect people to do research on me before sending a nasty-gram, but it's sort of weird that a self-identified writer (who, by definition must be a reader) doesn't even actually read the one article in toto either.

If you really want to make me cry by sticking it to me so very, very good. Try the following before you reach for that reply button –– get such basic facts correct as:

• I've done NaNoWriMo several times before
• What I think is good about NaNo (Literally "the good")
• That I have conflicted feelings. CON. FLIC. TED.
• That people who know what they're doing and how NaNo fits into the bigger process of writing should do whatever works
• What my "problem" is 
• Exactly why I don't think that it is something that a new writer or a writer inexperienced at a daily word count should dive into

So I can appreciate that your sphincter tightened in rage as soon as you read that the title of the article wasn't "NaNoWriMo is the best thing since threesomes WITH sliced bread! (And that's why it's called a sandwich. NAAAARF!)" If you read more than the title of the sections (and maybe some picture captions). And if you are capable of handling the fact of professional writers (not just me) glancing sideways at your precious, let me try to answer this 

One. 

More. 

Time.

I like NaNo. I often do NaNo. I have "won" NaNo multiple times. I enjoy the pressure. I like the discipline. I have even done it since I started blogging. But being aware of nuance is important with an event that 4/5+ fail to finish year after year.

To be clear, if you want to do NaNo, do NaNo. Knock your fucking self out. If it works for you, do whatever works. That's the only rule that really matters in art anyway. If you understand how lightning drafts fit into the writing process, rock rock on. If you really "grok" that your NaNo manuscript isn't going to get published, kick ass and chew gum. Don't let anyone tell you what to do. Least of all me.

However, I wrote that article because my opinion was specifically solicited, and I know too many damned good writers who NaNo has broken. I'm not just trying to pinch out a fat deuce in people's sandcastle. I actually don't think NaNo is neutral in a zero sum game and everyone should just do it or not depending on their whim. ESPECIALLY inexperienced writers who are putting all their eggs in its basket.

Look, trust me. I'm the biggest fan of people just writing for writing's sake that I know. I tell people every day not to worry about getting published, getting paid, getting famous, getting threesomes, getting anything, but to just WRITE because writing is fulfilling. And I'm also the guy telling you to write every day, even when it isn't easy. The circumstances in which I suggest anyone not write are few and far between and highly context dependent. 

If I did not know HUNDREDS of writers who tried and failed NaNo's breakneck überpace and then became despondent, burnt out puddles of self-doubt because they were convinced a "real writer" would have been able to pump out 1667 words a day and clearly they weren't such a real writer*, I might have more of a laissez-faire attitude. If I didn't know publishers and agents who got thousands of manuscripts in December, I might think that the writers weren't ignoring the revision process of writing. If I didn't see literally thousands and thousands of "writers" who do absolutely no writing outside of November, frustrated beyond reason that they can't seem to launch a tidy career as a novelist. If I didn't see the harm the event did, you bet your ass I would suggest that everyone at least give it a try because why not?

But there is a why not. And if you directly solicit my opinion about it, I'm going to tell you what it is. 

Some parts of NaNo are good, and some writers can handle it quite well. But most new writers need to learn to tackle a more reasonable pace, and need to learn to do it more than one month a year. 

*Days in the last year I have pumped out 1667 words: zero. (And I make real money at this and am read by thousands, so this is not the mark of a "real" writer.) 

NaNoWriMo: Moving From Wanna-be to Pro

I’ve seen so much about NaNoWriMo here lately, I decided to do something similar for the draft of Book Three in The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy series. 50,000 words is too short for an adult novel—think 75,000 minimum—but it’s just about right for my middle-grade through adult fantasy tales. I have a specific and rather heavy annual schedule, designed to bring out a book a year, which is a good publication interval for a series. November won’t work for me due to pre-existing scheduling issues, but September will. Or so I thought.

I started out with the lofty ambition of writing not just something, but THIS BOOK, daily, of producing that magical number of words (1667, IIRC) and getting that draft down in thirty days. As I was teaching boating this summer, I had been researching and getting my basic plot outlined, but couldn’t spend the hours at the keyboard. It’s all in my head, right? All I have to do it get it out, right? I’m a professional working writer already. This should be easy.

Wrong.

The first thing I discovered was that I am producing closer to 1000 words a day, and my total to date is about half of what I’d hoped to see. I just run out of steam. I have to go away and think about how the next segment starts, how the scene plays out, who says what to whom, let the book develop itself beyond the outline. I could always follow Mickey Spillaine’s sage advice and “bring on a man with a gun” (in my case, a new monster) when I got stuck, and see where things went from there, but I do have a pretty solid dramatic arc. I know where I am going, but sometimes need to work out the details of how to get there, especially when the characters and story run away from me, which is a great feeling, but can be hard to handle.

The second thing is that Real Life does its best to interfere. This surprises me every time I go into draft mode. The burst of creativity that a first draft requires is always very rough and utterly consuming, taking all my time and energy. I get cranky. I don’t have time for interruptions. But Real Life won’t go entirely away.

Still, when I finish this blog post, I will take a small walk, with eager dog, and come back to write the segment in my head. As usual, the book is growing and changing before my eyes as characters develop themselves, as their relationships complicate, and as new monsters appear. Dog walks make for good thinking time. I need to think it through before I write it down.

What I like about working the NaNoWriMo Idea: I like having a deadline, the firm commitment and a plan to reach it. It keeps me from procrastinating. It helps me avoid laziness. I like the closed-end compression, which makes me live in the new book most of the time so I don’t have to play catch-up after longer gaps. I like the rearrangement of all that can be rearranged, so I can really push at this draft with as few distractions and interruptions as I can manage.

What I don’t like: If I was more concerned with getting something, anything, down on the page so I will have the Magic Number of Words by the Magic Deadline, I think quality and continuity would suffer. I’d have a faster draft, but not a better one. There may be an impetus to stop and leave a draft for too long after producing it in under such pressure, and somehow, I think, many people never go back to finish.

I'm balancing things pretty well, though it’s too soon to say for sure. I’m making compromises with the NaNoWriMo format, while trying to keep the deadline and compression I like. The draft won't be done in 30 days; it’ll be closer to 45, but it will be solid. It will be the story I want to tell.

When you prepare for NaNoWriMo, you’ll be more successful, I think, if you keep a few points in mind.

Do prepare your book.  Pre-write the book in your head and with pen and paper as much as you can. Know who your characters are. Have outlines of their stories individually and for the book as a whole. Think about them and what they’re going to do. What’s going to happen to them?

Do prepare your life to remove distractions during this pressure-cooker period. Get your teeth cleaned. Get the snow tires on the car. Get the cat’s shots. Put your garden to bed. Pay the bills — yes, in advance, or at least all written out and ready, including stamps, to mail. Figure out what you’re going to eat, for the month, and make sure you’re stocked up on what you need. Pay attention to nutrition, exercise and rest. You’ll be more effective as a writer if you do.

Do get your priorities straight. If it’s important to you just to get the words out, just to give that story life by getting something, anything, on paper, that’s valid. Go for it. If it’s more important to get the quality and dramatic arc down, know that, and spend more time pre-planning the outline. That is valid, too.

Do cut yourself some slack. Your child will step on something and need to go to Urgent Care. You will have to work overtime, or your spouse will, and you’ll be on Parent Duty. It’ll snow and your chains will break. Then there is Thanksgiving. What possessed you to say you’d bring pies made from pumpkins from your garden? Make the commitment, schedule the hours every single day, but know that life will interfere. Don’t kick yourself or others, just get back on track.

Do make your writing life your real life. Don’t stop when NaNo is over. Participating in NaNoWriMo gives you the chance to move from wanna-be to serious working professional writer. By setting up your life so you can effectively participate, you can develop a system to use indefinitely, while still having a reasonable life. Writing is for the long haul, not just a month a year. To be a working, professional writer, you must schedule your work, but also give yourself days off, give yourself time each day to eat, sleep, bathe, exercise, attend to your family and home and have some fun. You’re not going to finish a book in thirty days. You will finish a partial first draft if you’re lucky. If you want to ultimately have a finished book, take what you have learned, modify it for the long term, and keep right on going.

That’s what serious, professional writers do. They keep on going.


Check out Claire's blog and FB page and available books here:

http://claireyoumansauthor.blogspot.com

www.tokigirlandsparrowboy.com

Facebook:  The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Toki-Girl-Sparrow-Boy-Claire-Youmans/dp/0990323404/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

[If you would like to do a regular or not-so-regular guest blog here at Writing About Writing, check out our guidelines and then drop me a line at chris.brecheen@gmail.com.]

Wash Week (Brunch)

I'm still sick.

I'm no longer bed ridden and fading in and out of a low grade fever, waking from frighteningly sudden naps with my sheets and t-shirt soaked through.  However, I am still run down, feeling cruddy, and suffering from a persistent cough. Me and The Contrarian are definitely going to snuggle up and watch Cars this afternoon.

It's time to get back writing, but I'm still a bit too fuzzy to be writing stuff that I want to publish. I also know that this is probably what was affecting my motivation and mood earlier in the week before the full blown symptoms. The Contrarian got it too, and he just seemed a little tired and listless before the symptoms started.

Fortunately it's Thursday, which means that (right after this) I'll be putting up a guest post. Maybe this weekend I can get a little something up to make up for this week as I continue to clean up tabs.

The Writer is Sick

Woke up to mild fever, nausea, and a couple of symptoms best left un-described. I might get a tab at the top cleaned up later today, but I am most definitely going to need to get my rest.

Disclamery Stuff

[I'm fixing, revising, and cleaning up the tabs at the top of the page, but it's good to put this into a reminder post every once in a while.]

Variations: they may occur in your mileage.

I try to use only copyright free images, and I also fail spectacularly. I've got a few places I go, like the Creative Common Licence Flikr page or the "free to use (even commercially)" image search on Google. Unless they are a picture OF me, they are absolutely not mine, and I will never ever claim that they are. If I put an image up on a potpourri post of comics and humor, it means I discovered them as a meme on Facebook and they had no attribution I could discern. I try my best, but the internet is a tangled thicket and not every image is watermarked.

So if I'm using an image that is yours (or your client's), please just tell me how you'd like me to handle it. (I'll take it down. Give you credit. Make it a link back to your page. Apologize for my impudence. Write a post about how awesome you are for not making a federal case of it. Whatever.) Just let me know what you want me to do, and I'll do it. I'm an artist. I steal, recombine, and reinvent, but I would never do that if I weren't welcome. It's just hard to tell if that's the case in today's online culture.

I really do try to avoid any image with a big flaming "Don't use my shit without permission" sign on the webpage or a clear copyright watermark, but sometimes I end up with such image through an intermediary with less regard.  If I've used a image that I didn't know was stolen, I will do what it takes to make amends.  And I will never pass off work that isn't mine as my own.

Some of my older articles have images from less discriminating places. The first page in a Google search for certain words, for example. This was back when I was excited to hit triple digits on page views in a given day, and before my site had ads. Again, if I'm using a copyrighted image, please just tell me how you'd like me to handle that. You don't even need to get your "kind-of-friend" in law school to write an official sounding Cease and Desist. Just toss me an e-mail, let me know, and I will be so mortified that I will do anything to fix it.

There will be no ads, but I might remind you of the tip jar. Writing About Writing is and will always be free. And these days we don't even have any ads. But I'm a pretentious artiste and I dream of writing paying for more than just a cell phone bill.  Once every month or two, I'll write a post reminding people that if they want more content, well curated menus and web design, professional level proof reading,  more fiction, or "big" articles every day, I'm going to need to work less than 40 hours a week on my two other day jobs. Through the generosity of readers, I've been able to pare down teaching to only once a night a week and get a sitter in for a couple of hours most mornings, and that's why I can write as much and often as I do. More improvements as they become feasible.

I'm not very good at proofing my own stuff.  (~dramatic pause~) Yet.  If you find a mistake, and you want to point it out, I promise I won't be the slightest bit offended or upset.  I will thank you, and fix it.  One of the great things about blogging is I can clean up old entries, and as long as I'm not changing the core ideas, it's all kosher.  I have some help in the form of beta readers, but I often procrastinate too long to fully solicit their help. Sadly, I cannot afford a proofreader as this blog makes an average of fifteen cents a day, and all the proofreaders I interviewed wanted like twice that!  Would that I could though.

In this blog, I mostly talk about creative writing, specifically fiction. While the concerns of other genres of creative writing dovetail with fiction somewhat, and all writing in general has a few things in common (like words and periods and stuff), they are also quite different in form, content, style, and execution. Fiction is not journalism, and neither of those is technical writing. So if you are making a great living gritting your teeth through the boredom while writing instruction manuals for digital cameras and food processors, and wonder what the hell I'm on about when I talk about high passion and low pay, it's not because I think you're not a "real" writer. It's just because "Blogging about Fiction Writing" isn't as catchy of a title, and writing out "creative fiction writing" would be a pain in the ass to write all the time....and I'm really lazy.

I am not very good at computer stuff.  Actually, that's like saying Emanuel Lewis is a little short.  I may have links that go nowhere or images that don't load. I can usually fix that stuff if you bring it to my attention. There are sometimes some weird formatting errors where it looks like some of the text is the wrong font or font size, and I can't seem to fix it, no matter what I do.

There might be some satire in here somewhere.  Maybe. You should probably take a satire class if you don't know how to recognize it when you see it. The Onion offers some online correspondence courses that are top notch. I highly recommend them.

I am not the persona through which I write. I will not use this persona to avoid taking responsibility for my words–especially the way some people excuse their use of harmful jokes. But I definitely turn the snark up to 11, and I don't actually care so much about threesomes. Or maybe I do, but just don't talk about it so much....

Following Writing About Writing

Interested in following Writing About Writing? Or perhaps everything I write?

If you're trying to follow Writing About Writing, it might actually be confusing to navigate all the different ways to do so. We're on several social media, but not every social medium is updated in the same way. Some media follow the blog the blog, but others follow me as a writer. Some get every post I make, no matter how major or minor. (Many days there are two posts but one of them is relatively minor.) Some media are privy to a cycle of "reruns" where (once a day) I cycle through the popular posts of the past so that new folks can see some of the things they missed (and old fans can be reminded of treasured classics).

I also occasionally write for other venues (Ace of Geeks for example), and those who are following me as a writer, rather than JUST Writing About Writing, may prefer the media where I can share those other articles. Twitter gets ALL of these updates I post anywhere, including the reruns, which is great for people who don't want to miss anything but may feel too spammy for many readers.

I'm not really present on any of these social media (except for Facebook). I cross post articles and very occasionally put something else up.

So what's the final word on how you should be following W.A.W.?

97 of the Earth's coolest people can't be wrong!
The real "Join this site" button is at the
bottom of this (and every) page.

Follow Writing About Writing through Google (Blogger, Google Friend Connect). Google's Blogger allows you to assemble a collection of blogs you follow. Most people following the blog this way have their own blog through Blogger, but it's not necessary. (You only actually need a Google account, which many people have through gmail.)

Pros- Shows all new updates (minor and major). Updates in a timely manner. Helps me with my "membership numbers," which are a bellwether of how cool the blog is.
Cons- No reruns. No posts from other venues. Blogger usually takes a few hours to get the latest post up. Wordpress is the chic, happening blog place; Blogger is like the high school kids who eat lunch in the quad.

It's going to burn your FEED!!!
Wait...what?

R.S.S. Feed (Feedly, Feedburner) If you have an RSS reader, you may like to simply be updated by having your RSS feed updated with the text of my latest post. If you click on the Feedburner button at the bottom of the page, you can subscribe to Writing About Writing through a number of RSS readers including FeedDemon, Netvibes, My Yahoo, Shrook, Newsfire, RSSOwl and more.

Pros- Shows all new updates (major and minor). Updates instantly.
Cons-Updates instantly! (Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but I am not a good writer. Usually I post before I've managed to find and fix the biggest typos and dumbshit errors I missed before I hit "Publish".) R.S.S. feed do not include reruns–even the really good ones. No posts from other venues. Many RSS readers are JUST text, so you won't see the fabulously hilarious images. Also, if you get a little behind on your feed, it feels like the sword of Damocles.

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't punch in
the addys of all those Nigerian Princes.

E-Mail Notification At the bottom of the page there is an option to put your e-mail into a text field and subscribe to W.A.W. through e-mail notifications.  Every time I post an update, you will be sent an e-mail notification containing a link to the post. I've been told that there's even some preview text (the first 200 words or something).

Pros- Shows all new updates (minor and major). Updates right away.
Cons- No reruns. No posts from other venues. You already get ten billion e-mails a day.

G+ for the W.A.W. Page (The text there is also the link) This G+ page for Writing About Writing. Though I put an occasional image up (usually when I need to add text to an image to create a "You should be writing" macro), it is mostly there JUST for blog updates and reruns. If you want to get updates through G+, you should probably pick this page OR the one below, but not both. If you do both, it will appear in your feed as if every single link is being posted twice.

Pros- Show all new updates (minor and major). Includes reruns.
Cons- No posts from other venues. It's G+, so people will accuse you of working for Google or being woefully out of touch. They will give you tin foil hats and serve you Kool-aid.

G+ for Chris Brecheen (The text is also the link.) Above is if you want to follow the Writing About Writing page; this is if you want to follow ME as an author. If I get added by a name I don't recognize in life, I put the name in a circle called "Author Updates." I post all my reruns and posts to other venues in this circle. I don't often use G+ otherwise, though occasionally I will have a public update that would also be seen by anyone in that circle.

Pros- Major posts, but not minor ones. Reruns. Posts from other venues. Posts right away. Not much other "noise."
Cons- Occasionally you'll see a public G+ post I write. Since I post all articles, reruns, and posts from other venues here, this can seem very "spammy." People will accuse you of being a Google shill because you're on G+.

Twitter (Chrisibrecheen) I don't use Twitter--not really. I don't really like it very much. I held in there for a while until all the retweets and replies became too much. So my tweets are ONLY cross posts of things I've written. Some people appreciate that it's a good place to get ONLY my updates; others find the "signal to noise" to be something that wouldn't make them want to follow me.

Pros- All posts. Reruns. Major posts. Minor posts. Posts from other venues. Posts right away. Not much other "noise."
Cons- I don't otherwise use Twitter. I also put ALL posts on Twitter even when I'm posting something different on Facebook (below) than on G+. That means sometimes Twitter has four or five links a day, and that can seem "spamish." Also misunderstandings in 140 character posts are a fact of life. Twitter pubic lice of the internet.

Facebook Page for Writing About Writing (Text is also the link) W.A.W.'s Facebook page is a whole different kettle of fish. It is, in fact, a thermo-kettle full of piranha. On my Facebook page, I actually post memes, macros, quotes, inspirational messages, videos, and try NOT TO POST TOO MUCH FROM MY BLOG. Most of the FB audience is there for the shenanigans, not the blog cross posting. Sometimes I skip posting "less popular" updates in favor of a "best of" rerun that will attract more of my FB audience. FB's algorithm blacks out posts, even to people who want to see it in order to encourage content providers to spend money promoting themselves.

Bitter.
So very bitter.

Pros- Lots of other fun stuff going on. Sticks to "best posts." Most reruns. Most posts from other venues.
Cons- Lots of other stuff going on. (Not a good place if you just want the updates or if you want all the updates.) Major posts. Not minor ones. FB algorithm prevents page followers from seeing every post so some W.A.W. posts will get lost. Skips less popular posts in favor of popular reruns. Not a good place to get all the updates. Enjoying anything on FB the requires a shower with steel wool and industrial cleanser. Facebook is the antichrist.

Tumblr (Text is also the link) I joined Tumblr after Facebook's latest round of content throttling that basically ensures that about one quarter of one percent of my Facebook followers see any given post. Tumblr doesn't try to decide what I want to see or what my followers want to see and it doesn't hold their eyeballs hostage to try and squeeze money out of me. Mostly, Tumblr isn't run by a bunch of greedy assholes with dollar signs in their eyes.  And yet.....I'm absolutely terrible at updating over there. I don't post as many macros on Tumblr as I do on Facebook because I don't have to post once an hour in order to be noticed once a day.

However, Tumblr is a place where it's tough to compartmentalize, so you have to put up with some of my obnoxious "feminist crap."

Pros- Only main posts. Very few reruns (only the uberbest). Some funny macros. Feminist crap (if you like that stuff).
Cons- Only major, major posts. No "minor" posts. Occasional reruns. Feminist crap (if you don't like that kind of stuff). Very sporadic posting. Basically I suck at sticking with more than one social medium.

Facebook for Chris Brecheen (The text is also the link) I welcome readers to follow me on Facebook, but the updates there get mixed in with a lot of other stuff about my life and the things that interest me, some of which (as you may have noticed) include social justice and struggles for equality. I can be a little.....intense. Please send me a quick private message if you friend me there. I deal with a hundred sunglasses selling randos a month.

Pros- All posts. You're more likely to see posts than on Writing About Writing's FB page.
Cons- I go up to 11.  Lots of posts. Facebook is still the devil.

More Technically there's a Pintrest for W.A.W., but I'm dreadful at updating it unless the image itself is awesome. Every once in a while my stuff ends up on Reddit. Stumbleupon is a bucket of unhelpful, customer-hating dicks.

The Mail Didn't Come?

I'm working on a thick and tangled Mailbox today about cishet white dudes and how they can write better characters without appropriation or tropes. I'm writing that, but it turns out to be the kind of topic that takes more than two paragraphs and a couple of threesome jokes to really tackle properly. So it might go up a little later on this week, thereby mixing up all the other planned posts.

I also got asked about how to follow this page and realized that it's probably time to update the "Follow Me" tab at the top of the page. Plus a couple of people asked if I was okay since I wasn't posting on the weekend, and even though I posted it, I never did go and change up my "Update Schedule."

And if you must know, I'm going through some shit that is even bigger than my superhero realism could allow for.

So this week, while I'm working on this mailbox, I'm going to fix those, tabs at the top of the page (most of them–fixing "Peeps" might take longer than a week), and generally get some stuff in order that I've been putting off forever.

Then I'm going to get back to this mailbox.