An Objection to NaNoWriMo

I'm sure a lot of young and aspiring writers are interested in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which is coming up next month. I personally have never done it.

I admire the thought behind it and certainly wish to encourage those of you who are participating. Good luck to all of you, including my co-writer, Natalie, who wrote on her experiences on it just this Friday.

But, I will not be joining you.

I think the discipline of writing every day is important for every single aspiring writer. I do not think that it makes you a good writer, however. Too often those participating in NaNoWriMo brag about how much they have written as if they deserve an award. I'll be honest, I've never read anyone's work from it that I would say was particularly good. That is completely okay. The important thing to keep in mind is that this is an exercise in discipline and that only. I want to remind you all though, that participating and meeting your goals in NaNoWriMo does not make you good. It simply makes you disciplined.

Over the summer, I forced myself to write every night until I completed a novella I was working on. I had a direction and aim, and with only the smallest goal- to write every night until it was done- I accomplished something I am extremely proud of. Originally, I had no intention to write a novella, I was amazed when I realized what I had conceived as a short story had grown so large. Most importantly, it took me deep into the lives and emotions of my characters, more than I ever had when I was planning. 80 pages is nothing compared to the length of some of the things you all will write during NaNoWriMo.

But, I have written longer stories of which I am less proud. I never strove to write a long story in my life. I strove to write a good one.

As you sharpen your pencils for November, please remember that quantity in writing (or any other artistic format) does not mean quality. I wish you all the best in this exercise!