Write 50,000 words of a novel in a month, and you win NaNoWriMo!
No emphasis on 'quality', genre, verification of whether you're cheating or not...
Yes, it seems quite superficial, doesn't it?... Except when you think of those two small things we call Freedom and Entertainment:)
Not to mention the impetus to utterly destroy the awful impulse to procrastinate *shudder* that so many of us writers suffer from ugh!
This year, I find myself flirting with NaNoWriMo - maybe even going on a first date with it (haven't registered on the site yet, but the wheels are definitely turnin' in that direction!)... The more I think about it, I can see why the idea is infectious to writers of all stripes. NaNoWriMo's basic philosophy is creative at the most visceral, genuine level. Namely: Get your butt in the chair and write.
Yes, it requires discipline. Yes, focus is a must. But, well, it's so damn fun, isn't it?
You're not writing with the goal of publication. You're not writing to illuminate the human condition. You're not trying to be original. You're not even trying to entertain.
You're just trying to write.
And, hey, if your book happens to create the germ of an idea for NaNoWriMo success stories - such as the novel 'Water For Elephants' by Sara Gruen - who's to complain?:)
Right now, nothing sounds more attractive to me than NaNoWriMo. It really does take all the pressure away, and channel it into a crazy race to cross the 50,000 word finish line in 30 days. No mean feat that.
And, hey, if I do cheat a bit and apply the NaNoWriMo spirit to a fun novel I've already begun but been procrastinating with for ages now... Hmmmm, it's gonna be a marriage made in heaven, don't you think?;D
Ah, November's going to be a very interesting month. I really can't wait to hit that 50,000 word mark.
Here's to everyone who's getting plugged into the spirit of NaNoWriMo 2011!
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