NaNoWriMo:

For years I have resisted NaNoWriMo.

I learned of the existence of National Novel Writing Month five years ago, back when I was married. My ex-wife was always an 'aspiring writer' who managed to get 30 - 40 thousand words done in November but barely any during the rest of the year. My path was different in that I wrote 3 - 5 thousand words a month consistently with some spurts up to 15 thousand when I wasn't juggling school and full time employment.

To me it is sad when someone with talent (I admit freely she is a talented writer, and I hope she decides to give writing her full attention someday) only puts in effort during a short span and only because someone told them to. After watching my ex-wife say all year how she really wanted to write for a living but only do any real work during November, I figured NaNoWriMo wasn't really all that helpful. If it worked, wouldn't she be finishing all the novels she started in November?

Of course that's not entirely accurate.

The spirit of the individual counts for much. My ex-wife used NaNoWriMo as a sort of crafts project. Sure, she wanted to be a writer but it was in much the same way I wanted to be a fighter pilot when I was in 3rd grade or the way people would love to win the lottery. It's a dream that probably won't come true, but it makes someone feel like they have something big ahead of them.

This year I began to think about things in a different way. Thousands of people have completed NaNoWriMo including authors I think are amazing. Hugh Howey and Brandon Sanderson come to mind immediately and there are many others. Many of these individuals come back to NaNo every year, even after finding success. If these ultra-successful writers find value in NaNoWriMo, what am I not seeing?

So this year I've decided to join. I'm not sure I will write 50,000 words during the month (that would be far and away a new record for me, my biggest month ever is less than half that) but I know I will learn something by the end of it. Strangely enough, I find myself looking forward to shoehorning a massive amount of work into a month where I really don't have any additional time.

If you want to follow the journey my username is VAAndrews. Feel free to send some encouragement!