I am joining with thousands of writers around the world to participate in NaNoWriMo, the annual self-flagellation writing event for authors who want to prove to themselves that they can finish an entire novel in a limited amount of time and still keep their sanity.
For those who aren’t familiar with NaNoWriMo, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. Writers knowingly and willingly sign up for the following challenge: Write and finish a 50,000 word novel between midnight November 1 and midnight November 30. The up side is that the novel doesn’t have to be great or sellable. It just has to get finished on deadline.
It’s a sly and brilliant way to get writers to basically rid themselves of the fear of failure and to tell their internal editors and critics to butt out and shut the hell up. All we have to do is write. It doesn’t have to be profound or bestselling. We just have to commit ourselves to the task at hand. And, if and when we complete the challenge, well, we’ll have proven to ourselves that we are up to the next challenge…perhaps writing a novel that WILL sell.
This is my first year participating in NaNoWriMo and I am approaching it like a runner who enters a challenging marathon —  not necessarily to win, but to finish and be able to say, “I did it.” Pretty empowering. This is just the sort of crazy idea I personally need to take my writing to its next level.
I’m already thinking, how hard can it be to write 1,667 words every day of the month?
We’ll see.
So what are the tricks to finishing a complete novel in 30 days? Here are some amusing tips I’ve read by skulking around the internet:
- Dump your inner editor (that’s the voice inside that constantly harps at you by saying things like: this sucks, you’re a horrible writer, stop wasting your time, give up, ad nauseum.)
Shamelessly use everyone and everything that has ever happened to you, including the incident with the matches and your mother’s underwear.
- Give yourself LOTS of room to NOT know where you’re going with this.
- If you are at all susceptible to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or any repetitive strain injury, be REALLY careful in November. Pamper your body with treats and delights. Make your loved ones give you frequent massages.
Um, sounds like an adventure.
Have you ever done the NaNoWriMo challenge? If so, I’d love to hear your insights.
Thanks for visiting Murphy Writes.
