My NaNoWriMo Fail, and What I Learned

Posted by liza on | November 21, 2009 | 1 Comment |

I have a commitment problem. I start fiction projects and immediately tuck them away- just until I know what to do with them, I tell myself. Then I start something else. I make notes on story and character ideas. I write scenes out of context, and context without plot, and plots without the meat of actual words. Actually, I have this good-intentions are better than follow-through problem with non-fiction as well. I lack tenacity. I sort of knew I had a problem, but I did not face the extent of it until I signed myself up for National Novel Writing Month this November.

The point of NaNoWriMo is to write and not look back. Do not edit, revise or reconsider. Don’t worry about the crap that may have hit the page. If you are going to reach 50,000 words by December, you must leap onward, inventing personalities and plot diversions in flight. 50,000 words, a modest-sized novel, in one month is the one and only goal. That’s 1667 words per day, a number both reasonable and daunting. The secondary requirement is that the story be a new story. You may have a plan and an outline in mind, but you must start the novel from scratch. No prewriting, or works in progress! Chris Baty and twenty friends founded the event ten years ago as a lark- a just for fun 50,000 word self assignment. It is still a lark, but also an international internet phenomenon. You can even “win” by uploading your manuscript at the end of the month for evaluation by the official word-counter. The website provides space to log your word count, connections with other writers, and a relentlessly upbeat attitude. In addition to daily doses of accountability, every few days it emails a pep-talk from a real live author. All of the advice has to do with breaking free of your inner censor, and applying yourself to write, write, write, like your manuscript is a lit rocket.

I launched well, but quickly lost my way and drifted. I wanted to tell a story I had been nursing for over a year, and it seemed perfect for NaNoWriMo. I had some characters, and a plan, and even notes and a sketchy outline, but no real writing done- no words on the page. Getting the words on the page became a struggle I had not anticipated. I found I had half-formed plans and half-formed characters, and the plot was not a seat-of-the-pants kind of plot. Several aspects of the setting required research. I had not considered the complexity of the project; I had never thought about simple and complex stories, as it pertained to my own work, at all! I jumped ship and started a new story, one with a very contained and simple idea, and limited set of characters. But soon the new story stalled. I just didn’t like it anymore- a classic hang-up that NaNoWriMo urges noobs to get past. Don’t like your characters? Bored with the plot? Too bad! Give them new troubles to juice up the plot and keep writing. But I didn’t.

My commitment problem is not circumstantial. It does not matter that conditions are perfect: that it’s raining out and I haven’t much else to do. I does not matter that I have a jumble of interesting story ideas waiting for attention. The problem is not lack of time or inspiration, but lack of inclination to work. I prefer to muse and fiddle and imagine working. And also, fear. I think some of the problem is misplaced perfectionism- another pitfall NaNoWriMo seeks to address! So now that it is safely too late to “win”, I am renewing my NaNoWriMo vow: I will write 1667 words per day until I finish my selected project, and I will not change projects, nor edit the manuscript until I reach The End.

I’ll let you know how that goes.

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