I’ll be trying my hand at National Novel Writing Month this year, but not in the traditional sense. I’ll still work towards 50k words in 30 days, just not for a singular piece of work.
What is your opinion regarding Nanowrimo? Have you ever successfully completed one? Do you feel like it’s worth the extra effort? Are there other challenges that you feel are more applicable to your style or goals?
This can be an open discussion about anything related to Nanowrimo, word count goals, or other writing events that take place throughout the year. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! ~ WM
I use NaNoWriMo as an annual kick in the pants. I'm already working on two new books (and my new Substack), but tracking myself on NaNoWriMo and encouraging other writers is a fun way to close out the year (plus it ends up giving me finished first drafts).
NB: I write novellas, so I "cheat" and work on two or three projects during NaNoWriMo in order to meet the 50k-word requirement. I also cheat in that I've usually already started the projects....
I like that it's a reinvigorating event that gets the creativity flowing again. New Years does this for me every year and I write more in the beginning of the year than at the end, but Nano helps with that balance.
I, too, work on multiple projects and at varying stages of completion. I don't actually try to win Nano, but I really embrace the writing spirit and culture that is spread during November.
Thanks for the insightful comment, Teague! Wish you much success on your new Substack!
I've done nano a couple of times. I think it's a great initiative and can work wonders for some people. The first time I did it was before I started writing properly, and I found it really useful for romping through a project from start to finish. It was a super rough end result, but it was one of the first times I'd completed an initial manuscript.
I attempted it a second time a few years back as a potential way to kickstart a new project (No Adults Allowed, I think), but found it to be too restrictive. By that point I was already writing regularly and had found a good rhythm, so the nano approach felt more disruptive than useful.
Hey Simon, this is a great perspective. It's worth a shot if someone is trying to jumpstart an idea or project. However, as you've pointed out, it's like a fad diet and can't be a replacement for a lifestyle of writing at one's own pace.
Thanks for linking your interview!! Can't wait to listen to it.
Hey T, this is great. The tip about writing without editing is crucial and something I have trouble with most days. Great post and summary! Thanks for sharing. :)
I do recommend rereading each day and making small line edits and tweaks as you go. Just hold off on any major revision until you're done. Good luck, Winston!
I'm not this time, but I certainly have before. Tbh, everything is a bit like a writing sprint this time because I have parenting and full-time day job and the Oxford reading list thing I'm doing, so I have to get in what I can when I can. Don't be disheartened by word count or that you've never 'won.' Just keep trying to connect more deeply with what you're writing, and the words will come.
My writing process is like cold brew coffee making so no nanoing for me, unfortunately. Have tried prompt writing which I can do but feels like slowly plucking out my fingernails with rusty pliers.
I did NaNoWriMo when I first started out as a writer, but eventually realized that it doesn't really work for me. I need time to really consider where the story is going, and can't write from an outline in my first draft. Personally, I think it would be better for beginners to start out with short stories anyhow. Not because they're easier, but because they give you a chance to try out a bunch of different ideas and techniques without having to commit to a massive project.
Great advice. I never complete NaNoWriMo. I get maybe 5 days in and then I'm overwhelmed. I have to really know the scene from every angle and be happy with it, I can't do that without taking some time to reflect on it. But it depends, I suppose.
Like you said, writing short stories is such a great way to explore different writing styles and ideas. I think the main thing I like about NaNoWriMo is the fact that it gets everyone excited about writing and that is a healthy environment to immerse oneself in.
Nov 3, 2022·edited Nov 3, 2022Liked by Winston Malone
I was going to, and then changed to another story with two days to go, and when I started last night, only wrote 250-300 words before I hit a snag. This morning, I discovered that I have to research this things because it's true and if I screw this up, I'll be called a Racist, and Imperialist, and Colonial old Fuck, so I thought, nope, I need to take a second look at it. So I dug out an old story I started in the summertime and thought, yeah, this one. It's only 3500 words, which catches me up; it's a fantasy, and I don't need to do a lot of world-building. But I want to write more than 1600 words a day. 50,000 words doesn't feel like it will be long enough for a book. That's novella territory from where I sit. So, THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO TIME TRAVEL is officially underway.
I hear you about the research. I usually try to write in the morning, but if it's something I have to put research into I get frustrated because it eats into my writing time. So I really have to plan ahead and research in the evening so I'll be ready in the morning.
I asked an Indian friend at work about the Komagata Maru and he looked at me and smiled one those: "Boy, you don't know what you're getting yourself into" looks, and said, "Don't. You're too white to know anything about it." He was right. It's like thinking, I'll just write a little story about the Golden Temple.
I don't, usually, but out here there was an incident with the Gov't and the (East) Indians back in 1914, involving a chartered ship from Japan and an attempt to immigrate that was denied. The ship (the Komagata Maru) was sent back to India, and when it arrived, around 22 of them were shot by the British for some bogus reason. If you don't present it properly, it could blow up in your face and people might hold it against you. They take their martyrs very seriously.
I agree that this sounds really interesting! I don't agree with your Indian friend when he says "You're too white to know anything about it." No one alive today was there in 1914, and I doubt he was personally involved either, so unless he's a historian, he doesn't necessarily know any more about it than you do. What he's implying is that his emotional and moral perspective on the incident is the only correct one, and you're obligated to adopt it and shut up because of your race. That's bullshit. You're not obligated to buy anyone else's morals or venerate anyone else's martyrs. Take it from an atheist. And sharing immutable traits with participants in historical events doesn't impart one inherent knowledge and wisdom. That kind of thinking is a sickness and it's destroying art (and a lot of other things.) There is a way to tell this story. You might find you agree with your friend's take, or you might have a different view entirely, but it's not up to anyone else to dictate if and how you tell it. Sorry for the rant, but whenever someone tells me I can't write about something, it makes me want to even more :-)
I'm not an atheist, but I still agree with you. ;-) There's always going to be some level of appropriation going on, unless you write about people who are exactly like you. I think a lot of people are getting sick of this kind of gatekeeping, not least because it makes for "safe" but incredibly boring fiction.
This is an interesting story. And as true as you can get. The Immigration officer was a sports legend up here. Fred "Cyclone" Taylor. Won the Stanley Cup on two different teams. Not only a legend, but revered for all he did for the community. The Komagata Maru was at a time in history when both Canada and the US were trying to prevent Asians from entering the country. It is a very emotional subject that is still spoken of today. The guy at work wasn't so much warning me off, but telling me if I wanted to tell this story, I had to make sure I got it right. The whites had an Anti-Asian League, headquartered in San Francisco, which seeped Northward into Canada. In 1914 Canada was still tightly tied to the Commonwealth, but as its own country, and not yet 50 years old, they wanted to flex their muscles. They happily accepted "white" Immigrants, but made it almost impossible for any other race to enter the country. There was a $200 head tax for every Asian arriving. Of the 300'ish passengers, only 24 were allowed into the country. The local Gov't refused to give them food and water. As I said, when the ship docked in India, several of the passengers tried to resist leaving the ship and were shot in the ensuing "altercation." It is a fascinating story. And I feel I can do it justice. I live in a place we call "Little India" here in the Vancouver area. Everything I need is at my fingertips. (The fact that I'm in an inter-racial marriage doesn't hurt either--except my wife is a Fijian-Indian and a sad excuse for a Hindu.) Most of the passengers were Sikhs, a few Muslims, and a handful of Hindus. The Sikhs might be a majority here in Vancouver, but they're still a minority in India. It's a very interesting subject, and one I will write eventually.
The most challenging stories are often the most rewarding ones, and this one sounds challenging! But it also sounds like you're already halfway there in terms of having the research and resources to understand your subject. And from what little I've read of your writing, there's a lot of humanity and sympathy there. You could certainly do it justice. Good luck if you decide to write it :-)
I tried it a few times, not so much to write something new, but to force my hand at tackling heavy revisions. I would break up a draft into sections according to the word count requirements and force myself to edit them on the schedule so by the end of the month I'd have a fully revised MS. It was somewhat handy for that. Of course, with a little discipline, I can do this on my own.
I deleted my account on principle when they instituted their new community guidelines that instituted censorship and speech codes. I never participated in their community, but when they asked for "feedback," I went on the discussion thread to respectfully lodge my concerns; my mildly dissenting comments were immediately flagged and removed. It all felt very surreal and soviet, so I deleted my account and now I refuse to support the site even in theory. Behind the cartoonish logos and awards, it's a dark place.
Thanks for sharing that experience and the link to their website. I should've expected as much. Honestly, I don't think I could sign into my account even if I tried. I haven't logged in since 2015 or so. Now that I'm more aware of that, I won't promote it as a brand anymore. There's another site called Royal Road that hosts a month long writing event called Writathon:
To win the challenge, you need to write at least 55,555 words in 5 weeks. This is a personal challenge first and foremost, but we hope you will get into the habit of writing and get some motivation while participating with other authors with similar goals.
The Writathon starts now, until the 5th of December.
Yeah, it's unfortunate they went in that direction, but that seems to be where lots of orgs are going these days (and why substack has been great so far :-) I expect that the actual novel-writing part probably remains largely untouched by whatever policies they've put in place, but it just gave me the creeps so I got out entirely.
I've been curious about Royal Road. I'll have to check it out, thanks!
It was the usual stuff about having to use the newly approved terminology and not offending the wrong people that's on every forum now, but it just gets my hackles up when I see it, especially because it's so censorious and punitive. Definitely dodged a bullet. Here's a taste:
Figured. This kind of thing is so predictable that it would be boring if it wasn't so frustrating. You could probably have AI write it and not lose any meaning.
Never done it. Seems like a good way for some writers to prolifically pump out prose. I write first drafts pretty fast anyway, then spend a year revising. To each their own. Very subjective decision, obviously.
I've tried it over the past 8 years and have never completed it haha. I don't think I'm wired to follow someone else's writing schedule. It just happens how it happens.
I use NaNoWriMo as an annual kick in the pants. I'm already working on two new books (and my new Substack), but tracking myself on NaNoWriMo and encouraging other writers is a fun way to close out the year (plus it ends up giving me finished first drafts).
NB: I write novellas, so I "cheat" and work on two or three projects during NaNoWriMo in order to meet the 50k-word requirement. I also cheat in that I've usually already started the projects....
I like that it's a reinvigorating event that gets the creativity flowing again. New Years does this for me every year and I write more in the beginning of the year than at the end, but Nano helps with that balance.
I, too, work on multiple projects and at varying stages of completion. I don't actually try to win Nano, but I really embrace the writing spirit and culture that is spread during November.
Thanks for the insightful comment, Teague! Wish you much success on your new Substack!
I've done nano a couple of times. I think it's a great initiative and can work wonders for some people. The first time I did it was before I started writing properly, and I found it really useful for romping through a project from start to finish. It was a super rough end result, but it was one of the first times I'd completed an initial manuscript.
I attempted it a second time a few years back as a potential way to kickstart a new project (No Adults Allowed, I think), but found it to be too restrictive. By that point I was already writing regularly and had found a good rhythm, so the nano approach felt more disruptive than useful.
Traditionally published UK writer Elizabeth Haynes still uses nano to do her first drafts. I interviewed her about it back in 2018: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/nanowrimo-primer-with-elizabeth-haynes/
Hey Simon, this is a great perspective. It's worth a shot if someone is trying to jumpstart an idea or project. However, as you've pointed out, it's like a fad diet and can't be a replacement for a lifestyle of writing at one's own pace.
Thanks for linking your interview!! Can't wait to listen to it.
Not trying to self-promote, but I already wrote about this, so for the sake of brevity and NaNo time management: https://tvansantana.substack.com/p/november-is-national-novel-writing
Hey T, this is great. The tip about writing without editing is crucial and something I have trouble with most days. Great post and summary! Thanks for sharing. :)
I do recommend rereading each day and making small line edits and tweaks as you go. Just hold off on any major revision until you're done. Good luck, Winston!
Thanks, T!! I'm so far behind already. But I'll be curious to see how many words I can manage regardless. Do you do writing sprints?
I'm not this time, but I certainly have before. Tbh, everything is a bit like a writing sprint this time because I have parenting and full-time day job and the Oxford reading list thing I'm doing, so I have to get in what I can when I can. Don't be disheartened by word count or that you've never 'won.' Just keep trying to connect more deeply with what you're writing, and the words will come.
Sounds like a sprint for sure!!
I’ll definitely try to do that. Gotta enjoy the process first and foremost.
My writing process is like cold brew coffee making so no nanoing for me, unfortunately. Have tried prompt writing which I can do but feels like slowly plucking out my fingernails with rusty pliers.
At first I was loving the coffee reference, but by the end I was cringing at the rusty pliers. What a rollercoaster of emotion.
I would pour you a consoling cup, Winston, but the bloody coffee's still brewing, and, in any case, you know, the fingers...
I did NaNoWriMo when I first started out as a writer, but eventually realized that it doesn't really work for me. I need time to really consider where the story is going, and can't write from an outline in my first draft. Personally, I think it would be better for beginners to start out with short stories anyhow. Not because they're easier, but because they give you a chance to try out a bunch of different ideas and techniques without having to commit to a massive project.
Great advice. I never complete NaNoWriMo. I get maybe 5 days in and then I'm overwhelmed. I have to really know the scene from every angle and be happy with it, I can't do that without taking some time to reflect on it. But it depends, I suppose.
Like you said, writing short stories is such a great way to explore different writing styles and ideas. I think the main thing I like about NaNoWriMo is the fact that it gets everyone excited about writing and that is a healthy environment to immerse oneself in.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to find that kind of excited environment elsewhere.
I was going to, and then changed to another story with two days to go, and when I started last night, only wrote 250-300 words before I hit a snag. This morning, I discovered that I have to research this things because it's true and if I screw this up, I'll be called a Racist, and Imperialist, and Colonial old Fuck, so I thought, nope, I need to take a second look at it. So I dug out an old story I started in the summertime and thought, yeah, this one. It's only 3500 words, which catches me up; it's a fantasy, and I don't need to do a lot of world-building. But I want to write more than 1600 words a day. 50,000 words doesn't feel like it will be long enough for a book. That's novella territory from where I sit. So, THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO TIME TRAVEL is officially underway.
I hear you about the research. I usually try to write in the morning, but if it's something I have to put research into I get frustrated because it eats into my writing time. So I really have to plan ahead and research in the evening so I'll be ready in the morning.
I asked an Indian friend at work about the Komagata Maru and he looked at me and smiled one those: "Boy, you don't know what you're getting yourself into" looks, and said, "Don't. You're too white to know anything about it." He was right. It's like thinking, I'll just write a little story about the Golden Temple.
FWIW, nowadays people are called those things whether or not they're accurate. I've stopped trying to please the unpleasable.
I don't, usually, but out here there was an incident with the Gov't and the (East) Indians back in 1914, involving a chartered ship from Japan and an attempt to immigrate that was denied. The ship (the Komagata Maru) was sent back to India, and when it arrived, around 22 of them were shot by the British for some bogus reason. If you don't present it properly, it could blow up in your face and people might hold it against you. They take their martyrs very seriously.
Sounds freaking interesting though! So many moving parts. I can see why you want to research it heavily and present it a certain way.
I agree that this sounds really interesting! I don't agree with your Indian friend when he says "You're too white to know anything about it." No one alive today was there in 1914, and I doubt he was personally involved either, so unless he's a historian, he doesn't necessarily know any more about it than you do. What he's implying is that his emotional and moral perspective on the incident is the only correct one, and you're obligated to adopt it and shut up because of your race. That's bullshit. You're not obligated to buy anyone else's morals or venerate anyone else's martyrs. Take it from an atheist. And sharing immutable traits with participants in historical events doesn't impart one inherent knowledge and wisdom. That kind of thinking is a sickness and it's destroying art (and a lot of other things.) There is a way to tell this story. You might find you agree with your friend's take, or you might have a different view entirely, but it's not up to anyone else to dictate if and how you tell it. Sorry for the rant, but whenever someone tells me I can't write about something, it makes me want to even more :-)
I'm not an atheist, but I still agree with you. ;-) There's always going to be some level of appropriation going on, unless you write about people who are exactly like you. I think a lot of people are getting sick of this kind of gatekeeping, not least because it makes for "safe" but incredibly boring fiction.
This is an interesting story. And as true as you can get. The Immigration officer was a sports legend up here. Fred "Cyclone" Taylor. Won the Stanley Cup on two different teams. Not only a legend, but revered for all he did for the community. The Komagata Maru was at a time in history when both Canada and the US were trying to prevent Asians from entering the country. It is a very emotional subject that is still spoken of today. The guy at work wasn't so much warning me off, but telling me if I wanted to tell this story, I had to make sure I got it right. The whites had an Anti-Asian League, headquartered in San Francisco, which seeped Northward into Canada. In 1914 Canada was still tightly tied to the Commonwealth, but as its own country, and not yet 50 years old, they wanted to flex their muscles. They happily accepted "white" Immigrants, but made it almost impossible for any other race to enter the country. There was a $200 head tax for every Asian arriving. Of the 300'ish passengers, only 24 were allowed into the country. The local Gov't refused to give them food and water. As I said, when the ship docked in India, several of the passengers tried to resist leaving the ship and were shot in the ensuing "altercation." It is a fascinating story. And I feel I can do it justice. I live in a place we call "Little India" here in the Vancouver area. Everything I need is at my fingertips. (The fact that I'm in an inter-racial marriage doesn't hurt either--except my wife is a Fijian-Indian and a sad excuse for a Hindu.) Most of the passengers were Sikhs, a few Muslims, and a handful of Hindus. The Sikhs might be a majority here in Vancouver, but they're still a minority in India. It's a very interesting subject, and one I will write eventually.
The most challenging stories are often the most rewarding ones, and this one sounds challenging! But it also sounds like you're already halfway there in terms of having the research and resources to understand your subject. And from what little I've read of your writing, there's a lot of humanity and sympathy there. You could certainly do it justice. Good luck if you decide to write it :-)
I hope you don't give up on it entirely. That sounds fascinating.
So true.
I don't have a phone. I can only use my PC, so I can't join your chat. Sorry.
Ah yeah. That would be an issue. Sorry!
Yeah, I'm disappointed the chat feature is only available on the app... Oh well.
I tried it a few times, not so much to write something new, but to force my hand at tackling heavy revisions. I would break up a draft into sections according to the word count requirements and force myself to edit them on the schedule so by the end of the month I'd have a fully revised MS. It was somewhat handy for that. Of course, with a little discipline, I can do this on my own.
I deleted my account on principle when they instituted their new community guidelines that instituted censorship and speech codes. I never participated in their community, but when they asked for "feedback," I went on the discussion thread to respectfully lodge my concerns; my mildly dissenting comments were immediately flagged and removed. It all felt very surreal and soviet, so I deleted my account and now I refuse to support the site even in theory. Behind the cartoonish logos and awards, it's a dark place.
Thanks for sharing that experience and the link to their website. I should've expected as much. Honestly, I don't think I could sign into my account even if I tried. I haven't logged in since 2015 or so. Now that I'm more aware of that, I won't promote it as a brand anymore. There's another site called Royal Road that hosts a month long writing event called Writathon:
To win the challenge, you need to write at least 55,555 words in 5 weeks. This is a personal challenge first and foremost, but we hope you will get into the habit of writing and get some motivation while participating with other authors with similar goals.
The Writathon starts now, until the 5th of December.
https://www.royalroad.com/blog/50/royal-road-anniversary
Yeah, it's unfortunate they went in that direction, but that seems to be where lots of orgs are going these days (and why substack has been great so far :-) I expect that the actual novel-writing part probably remains largely untouched by whatever policies they've put in place, but it just gave me the creeps so I got out entirely.
I've been curious about Royal Road. I'll have to check it out, thanks!
Untouched, other than whatever pressure put on writers to not write anything that could be deemed problematic.
That's the part that worries me.
I'm not aware of their guidelines though. Let me know if you find anything sus.
Wait, what kinds of guidelines did they add? That must have been after my time there. Sounds like a dodged a bullet.
It was the usual stuff about having to use the newly approved terminology and not offending the wrong people that's on every forum now, but it just gets my hackles up when I see it, especially because it's so censorious and punitive. Definitely dodged a bullet. Here's a taste:
https://nanowrimo.org/dei#resources
Figured. This kind of thing is so predictable that it would be boring if it wasn't so frustrating. You could probably have AI write it and not lose any meaning.
It does all seem to follow the same script...
Never done it. Seems like a good way for some writers to prolifically pump out prose. I write first drafts pretty fast anyway, then spend a year revising. To each their own. Very subjective decision, obviously.
I've tried it over the past 8 years and have never completed it haha. I don't think I'm wired to follow someone else's writing schedule. It just happens how it happens.
I get that!!