Hey everybody! I’m Jennifer Melzer. This is my first blog here at The Write Stuff, and since we’re about 1/3 of the way through the month of November, I want to talk about a topic near and dear to my heart: National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo.
I have a non-writer friend who rolls his eyes at me every October and asks, “Why do you do this ridiculous NaNoBlahBlah thing? It drives you crazy, stresses you out and makes you super grouchy. I think you should stop doing it, and just do the same thing you do every other month… Write.”
Maybe he has a really good point. I spend the other eleven months of the year writing until my keyboard smokes like it’s no big thing. Then November starts to draw near. I get a little itchy under the skin and start plotting mayhem because despite my ability to write like mad every other month, for some reason November is pure madness. I don’t know if it’s because of the impending holidays, maybe Daylight Savings Time, or some other rare cosmic alignment I’m completely unaware of, but it is really difficult to finish a short novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
I know this, but every year I open up the site, start filling in the details about the novel I’m going to write and boom! It’s on like Donkey Kong. There’s hair pulling, tons of whining, flailing and even a few tantrums that are downright childish, but I almost always manage to push through it ahead of the game. In 2013, I changed novels midway through the month, throwing my entire word count out the window and starting from scratch. It was absolute madness, but in the last two weeks of November, I wrote just over 50,000 words. In 2012 I wrote the first 60,ooo words on my epic fantasy novel, Edgelanders, and shared it chapter by chapter while I was writing it. It was chaos, pure insanity every single day, but there was something about it that sang to my soul.
I love writing under pressure. I love the weight of a deadline pressing down upon my shoulders while the muse yaps incessantly in my ear. This year it’s extra chaotic. I have editing clients I’m working with, I’m in the middle of promoting my upcoming novel, Siren (which is now available for pre-order on Amazon!), there’s a game I’m really looking forward to playing coming out next week, I am in serious need of a haircut and it’s darn near time to cook a turkey, but I’m ahead of schedule on my NaNoWriMo novel. I’m moving right along, and I know I’m going to finish the requirements, and the first draft of my urban fantasy novel, Promises, Promises.
And THAT is why I do NaNoWriMo every year. Because I love, love, love the pressure and the chaos.
I blog about NaNoWriMo every single day in November! Drop by my site, subscribe to the feed and feel free to join in the conversation! I’d love to have you there.
The Write Stuff 
I like what you wrote about pressure — it certainly helps to push you forward in a great momentum. And it sounds like you’ve had some great results because of it!
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Pressure is a wonderful thing for me. I know a lot of people who can’t handle deadline pressure, but I think I do my best work when there’s something over my head. Thanks for taking a moment to read and comment, August! So nice to meet you.
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Great post!
This year is my 11th NaNo. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to make the 50k, and I think that’ll be my third or fourth loss. I’ve had years where I’ve done a hundred thousand and years when I’ve done thirty-five. Word count is always a secondary goal for me though. For me it’s all about trying to draft something or flesh out an idea or get a start on something, even when I’m in the middle of revising something else, as I am this year.
That said, that extra pressure to hit the word count goal does keep me up at night sometimes when I’d rather go to bed, and friendly competition with writing buddies too. Sometimes you just need a little extra after a long day. (Which is the exact reason I don’t think I’ll “win” this year; I have too much other stuff going on and decided to excuse myself from pressure.)
People say the same thing to me: if you write all year round, what’s the big deal about NaNo? And I’m all, DUH, EXTRA CANDY!
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Hi Jen! This is my 9th year doing NaNo! I hope, despite everything, you do get to finish your novel. Even if you don’t finish in November. Finishing is key for me.
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This is the first year I’ve really participated, and it’s definitely fun chasing others’ word counts. I have to admit, though, that I’m editing as I write despite aiming for the 50,000-word goal. Gotta keep things interesting, right? 🙂
I’m still on track despite the editing, though, (and despite taking a three-day weekend last week), so maybe my next book will be ready to polish in December and publish in January! Since I have two other projects I’m really supposed to be working on instead, that definitely wouldn’t have happened without NaNoWriMo….
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I try so hard not to edit while I write, but it’s impossible. I nitpick at everything, even while I’m writing. I do a lot of word sprinting with my FB writing group, and so much word vomit comes out it’s too hard not to go back at some point, even if it’s just making sure everything still makes sense so I can move forward. I actually went back in yesterday and shifted an entire relationship dynamic that was meant to work as a driving force for the novel, but wasn’t working the way it needed to. I lost a lot of words, but still managed to end the day ahead of the game.
Here’s to juggling multiple projects, and still getting things done. Way to go, Aimee! 🙂
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Hi, Jennifer! Welcome aboard! And what a great first post. So inspiring. One of these days! Trouble is, I’m always in the middle of a crunch when it rolls around. (Okay, I say always, but really I’ve only been writing a year and a half!) Here’s the thing with me. I’m already pushing myself that hard. I want to get ten books out before I collapse in an untidy pile of old lady weariness. 🙂 I’m aiming for 2 a year, and frankly, 2,000 to 3,000 words a day what I normally hit, and about all I can do. I don’t have one single word left over for a NaNoWriMo project. Not. One.
Also consider I have four blogs to run, in addition to my writing, editing, and holy moly…SPEAKING engagements now. That sounds much more prestigious than they are. Just some PowerPoint presentations for small local groups. But they’re still going to take time.
All of this is by way of saying I LOVE what you guys are doing, but I think I’ll leave it to you young whippersnappers, at least for now. Maybe after I get that 10th book under my belt, I’ll give it a go. In the meantime, I’m cheering you all on, and hope you’ll keep us posted here as to how it’s going.
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Bravo, Jenny. It’s impressive and also inspiring to read about your creativity process during this month of November. I agree with you that pressure isn’t always bad. It is often when we have less time that we do more. Good luck to you and to anyone participating in NaNoWriMo this year.
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