#NaNoWriMo? Why it works for me

This year will be my fifth time participating in November's National Novel Writing Month, or better known as NaNoWriMo. For those who haven't heard of NaNoWriMo before it is basically spending the entire month of November, all 30 days, writing a 50,000 word novel. Sounds tough, huh? To be honest, most days it's quite the challenge, but to walk away at the end of the month having met the 50K goal is a remarkable feeling, and that's why I keep coming back to it year after year.

I've participated four times and four times I've met the goal, pushing myself to do it. This year will be no different. But is it worth it? Is it worth neglecting family and friends and forgoing a clean and tidy house? For me, I say yes. This somewhat stressful undertaking is how I work best. Without goals and a bit of pressure, I tend to mess around and accomplish nothing. True. I'm horrible like that. I work best under deadlines. And November's end of the month deadline of 50K words is just the thing I need to get me writing and being creative again. I can't wait. 

But how can a novel written in one month be any good? It's gotta be nothing but pure crap. To be honest, sometimes that's exactly what it is--crapola--and that's okay. It's a first draft and first drafts tend to be crap. It's the rework that makes it better. Now, some will rework their "masterpiece" and improve on it. Others will not. Some will polish and refine and turn it into something awesome before publishing. Others will not. It is what it is. But even before NaNoWriMo came into existence, this idea of pushing first draft novels to publication before they were ready has always been around. It's nothing new. Me? Send a first draft to publication? OH HECK NO! Never! The rewriting and editing process, though a big ol' pain in the tuckus is necessary and some what magical at the same time. It's amazing to see a rough draft come together.

So whatever came of the four NaNoWriMo novels I've written over the years? Well, the first one written back when my youngest was a baby (she's now nine) will never be seen by anyone. Ever. I wrote it. I felt incredibly accomplished, and that was plenty good enough for me. The book is horribly written and so it is locked away in a vault buried deep under the sea. Which sea? I will never tell. The second book is in a similar situation. The only difference is that someday I would love to come back to that story, rework it, and maybe publish it in the future. But as it stands--it sucks. I can admit that. 

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Now the other two novels have come a long way. The third time back in 2010 I participated in NaNoWriMo was with WANTED: Dead or Undead, Book #1 in The Zombie West Series. Since then, WANTED has been picked up by Evolved Publishing and has won a few awards--Winner of The Kindle Book Review 2012 Best Indie Books, YA and also The League of Utah Writers 2012 Golden Quill Award 2012.

Survivor Roundup, Book #2 in The Zombie West Series and the fourth book that I wrote using NaNoWriMo will be published the end of this November.

And this year, I will use NaNoWriMo to write the first draft of Book #3, Dead Plains. That is my hope anyway--fingers crossed.

So NaNoWriMo works for me. Actually, it's worked very well and so I couldn't imagine missing it this year despite being EXTREMELY busy trying to get Survivor Roundup ready for its release date (editing, editing, editing). It should be a fun and interesting month for sure :)

What are your feelings about NaNoWriMo? Are you giving it a go this year? If so, leave your NaNoWriMo handle/name and lets be writing buddies and encourage each other along. I'm Calynnblue, by the way (a handle I picked years and years ago).

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