Next month is NaNoWriMo: the National Novel Writing Month. It’s a time when writers around the world hunker down to write 50 thousand words on a novel in a single month. It’s not a small endeavor. So why do it?
Here are my top seven benefits to you from choosing to join NaNoWriMo:
Reason One: Write Every Day
There is no better way to get into the habit of writing every day than to have a huge deadline looming over you. If you have ever wanted to develop that habit, this is a great way to go about it. It gives you a hard purpose for writing too, which helps.
Reason Two: Beat Procrastination
If you tend toward procrastination, then having a deadline might help. Knowing you need to get on those words if you want to hit 50k by the end of the month, can be the perfect kick in the pants you need.
Reason Three: Hush Your Inner Editor
You can’t write quickly if you are editing along the way or listening to the inner critic inside your head. NaNoWriMo success relies on your ability to quiet those voices so you can write freely, without inhibition or fear. Speed writing and big deadlines are great ways to focus and deliver. If you struggle with doubt and negative inner dialogue, this challenge might help you overcome it.
Reason Four: Develop New Habits
The point of NaNoWriMo is to break through barriers in your writing and free you up to create. It helps you quiet your inner editor, focus on your writing, make a commitment, write daily, keep writing even when it’s hard and so many more positive habits. Lean into those. They will help your writing career even after the challenge.
Reason Five: Break Free
The funny thing that happens in NaNoWriMo is it makes you realize you can find time to write. Once you commit to doing NaNo, it’s amazing how many pockets of time free up to write. We all waste so much time on social media, surfing the net, marathoning television series, and playing games. NaNoWriMo shows us how to break free from those unproductive black holes and do something that feeds us rather than drains us.
Reason Six: Find the Fun
NaNoWriMo is challenging, but it is fun too. There’s nothing quite like the rush of coming up with a new idea for your plot or crafting the perfect line of dialogue. There’s a thrill to finishing a chapter and reaching a goal. Plus there’s a great community too. Find the fun in the process and craft, and in the community too.
Reason Seven: Hone Your Skills
The more you write, the better you will get. Like anything on the planet, writing well takes practice. Doing NaNoWriMo will help you learn more about writing a novel. You’ll see what works for you (plotting for me) and what doesn’t (pantsing). You’ll discover weird quirks you might have, like words you use too often or obscure references or insane ideas. But mostly, you will find that the only way to be a writer is by writing. NaNoWriMo is a great place to begin.
In the next two blogs, I will share my top tips for actually doing NaNoWriMo. They are tricks that will help you get your word count and stay sane at the same time.
By the way, I am not being paid by NaNoWriMo to promote it. I have participated in it a few times. I enjoyed doing NaNoWriMo and wanted to share the benefits of doing it before it began. I think it is even more important to do it this year during the pandemic when so many of us have been cut off from each other. Coming together with a larger writing community can only help us and our writing.