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War of the words:
National November Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

 

» Why this artsy pastime is a waste

Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

Con every November, the world of
the artistically-inclined descends
into NaNoWriMo. This is a global
initiative in which participants are
encouraged to write an entire 50,000-
word novel in a month (an average of
1,666 words a day}. Websites, support
chapters, and “write-ins” take place
all around the world in support of this
activity, which attracts hundreds of
thousands of participants each year.

But frankly, the entire initiative is
misguided and a waste of time. Writing a
novel is a long and complicated process.
It’s true that the result of NaNoWriMo
is only meant to be a first draft, but
finishing a complete draft continuously
throughout a month is somewhat
pointless. While there is no “correct” way
to write a novel, it should not be a rushed
process, especially for a first one, as the
majority of NaNoWriMo works are.

It’s great to write and improve your
skills, particularly if you are someone
who does not write often. But attempting
to finish a complete work in a short
timespan merely to participate in a big
activity will likely result in unsatisfying
work. Quantity over quality should
never be a goal for a concrete piece.

Writing is great. It’s therapeutic,
creative, and enlightening, often
teaching the author something about

: themselves. But there are better ways

: to get the creative process open,

: without being in a stressful and timed

: atmosphere. Creative writing should not

: be stressful when it’s done for nobody’s

: benefit but your own, and that’s exactly

: what NaNoWriMo is—an activity based

: on producing content, no matter how

: crappy the content is. Even experienced

: creative writers who take time doing

: their work often feel frustration at their

: results. How many wannabe writers have
: looked at the results of their NaNoWriMo
: works and felt even more revulsion and

: contempt for their hastily written works,

: banged out in a coffeehouse on a timer

: among other participants? The activity

; may even be doing more harm than good.

Writing a novel takes time, effort,

: and determination. It’s a daunting task

: that should be taken seriously, and

: preferably by experienced writers who

: know what they’re doing. I fully support

: writing and writing every day, but 1,666

: words is very excessive—especially by an
: inexperienced writer, and in the context

: of being a part of a novel. If you really

: want to write in November to get your

: ideas out, do so. But don’t feel pressured

: by the number of words you need or your
: content fitting into a narrative. Write

: poetry. Write a personal narrative. Write
: a short story, a one-off event, erotica, or

: just ramblings. Write what you want at a
: rate you feel comfortable with, and don’t
: take on a novel if you don’t feel ready.

 

» Get it on the page

Benjamin Howard
Columnist

Se someone thinks that NaNoWriMo
is terrible. Well, I hope he’s got all his
word-warriors in formation so that my
superior opinion can crush them all ina
neat little row. Long have my thoughts
forged and baked in the bellows of
wordsmithery, and so by the sharper
sentence shall my foe be vanquished!
So, we are arguing quality over
quantity, right? Many readers right
now are likely thinking: “50,000 words
in a month? Anything that rushed
is gonna be terrible!” That’s a good
point, but remember that those 50,000
words are only making up the first
half of a novel, and the first draft at
that. It’s been said before: writing is
rewriting. It’s only a first draft, so the
writer will have plenty of editing to
do—whether the draft was pumped
out in a month, or many. I bet that
the likes of Renoir and Rafael started
out scribbling in crayon like everyone
else before they became masters, and |
doubt it’s much different for novelists.
A writer’s first crack at a novel will
likely turn out terribly, so why not get
it over with as quickly as possible?
There’s also a theory that the faster
one writes, the better the result. I’m not
sure how much credence there is to this
claim, but apparently the passion of a
writer (or any artist for that matter) is

Image via thinkstock

: tapped into more easily when one writes
: quickly, without thinking. When talking
: about song-writing in the documentary
: Under the Influence, the Rolling Stones
guitarist Keith Richards said, “You can

: go in with everything sort of planned,

: and it just doesn’t click.” Perhaps

: sometimes the best thing to do is simply
: to do, and maybe the desire to create

: perfection in the first few keystrokes

: can actually inhibit creativity. On top

: of that, there are many authors who

: wrote great works rather quickly, the

: prime example being Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

: Hyde, which was written in just six

: days. Stephen King, a writer who has

: somehow managed to stay relevant for

: over 40 years, says that his first drafts

> are written in three months or less;

: being that NaNoWriMo only requires

: about the first half of a novel to be

: written by November 30, that seems

: about in line with King’s work ethic.

Ultimately, anything that

: encourages a writer to get off his ass

: and write is doing a great service. Most

: so-called aspiring writers have never

: finished a novel, and probably have never
: made it to 50,000 words. Some people

: need a kick in the butt to get going, and

: NaNoWriMo does that for many writers.
: Whatever helps a writer get from page

: one to “THE END” is invaluable. Ya

done good NaNoWriMo, ya done good.