Is NaNoWriMo worth the bother?

I’m starting to get emails from the local NaNoWriMo organizers, and writers like you should be too. If you aren’t, go on over to nanowrimo.org and sign up.

Somebody decided to make November into National Novel Writing Month and set up this national nonprofit organization to provide local structure–write ins, email support, writing buddies, and more.

No more lonely writing in the attic for modern writers! We can find each other and write, elbow to elbow, providing that extra psychological oomph of doing things alongside others. And encouraging others, and being encouraged by them.

You’ll be setting goals and striving to keep them. It’s helpful for seasoned novelists and newbies alike. And the time to sign up is along about now.

Why they picked November, I have no clue. Someone like me has to stop the novel project for about a week in order to plan and execute a big family meal, right there in November. How about, say, February? Also a month that’s often fairly bleak in this part of the world? Well, turns out somebody else has this problem and did something about it. Now there’s MarNoWriMo, for March Novel Writing Month. I need to get that on my calendar.

Let’s say you’re game for NaNoWriMo. What’s to lose, anyway? Here’s a piece of advice: think about your story for a while before you get to Nov. 1 and start writing. No sense wasting a lot of November on something that could never be published. Get the story structure and main characters figured out beforehand.

Happy writing! See you online!