It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone and tomorrow starts Halloween, and with it, the beginning of NaNoWriMo. For those of you who know nothing else about NaNoWriMo, know that it’s a month long writing exercise to attempt to write 50k words in 30 days. It’s actually a lot of fun, but like most fun things, there are those who have maligned NaNoWriMo as some sort of conspiracy to destroy literature. Don’t believe me? Google it, the opinions on NaNoWriMo are not pretty.
To be fair, NaNo does inspire some craziness, but what is writing if not craziness right?
It’s just writing… why do you have to take it so seriously? I know this probably sounds odd coming from me, but what I mean is… writing is about craziness, it’s about fun, it’s about following the story where it takes you and letting your characters lead the way. It’s not supposed to be serious nor should it be. Publishing is the business, and publishing is where you have to get serious and you have to be realistic and that’s where you have to look at the story for what it is, which if it’s a first draft could mean a steaming pile of shit. But writing itself is supposed to be fun. Somewhere along the way some of the writers who are anti-WriMo have forgotten that. Perhaps because they’ve been publishing so long, writing has become a chore, and that’s rather a depressing thought. Writing should always be enjoyable to you, because otherwise why do it? It doesn’t pay like being a doctor (although I for one think it ought to)*, so it’s not like you’re doing it just for the money are you?
Sure some people will think their book is gold and send it to agents, and sure there are agents who hate life during the post-NaNo season, but I’d like to hope that those writers are in the minority and that more NaNo-ers realize that it’s going to take time. The NaNoWriMo website itself often discusses post-NaNo life, editing and where to go with your novel.
______
* yes, I am suggesting that a writer’s work is just as important as a doctors. If you don’t believe me, think of how much better you feel when you read your favorite book when you’re sick. Also consider this statistic: Doctor errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. This is probably as much of an issue of patient communication, as it is plain doctor accidents, but my point is… authors, teachers, and artists definitely deserve more money than do athletes.
