NaNoWriMo: NoNoMoi

I need to hand out a few Thank Yous and give some splats to a contest before I get to my post.

I want to give a major MERCI to Pk Hrezo. She has a smashing blog, Chronicle of an Author at Large. She highlighted me in one of her posts. I'm humbled and grateful, and she brought me a few new Alleywalkers! Welcome! Glad you've joined us. AND I must thank Shannon Mayhew of Random Thoughts for awarding Writers' Ally the Lovely Blog Award.

Make sure to check out my friend Susan's blog for her Back From Hiatus Contest. She's giving away some great books! And just a reminder about my short story contest. I have plenty who have entered but haven't received many entries. Please get those to me so my daughter and I can read them. If I don't receive enough, I'll award the entries I have.

NaNoMeConfus-o

Before I started Writers' Ally about nine months ago, I'd never heard of NaNoWriMo. I hadn't heard of NaNoBlogMo or Natalie Whipple's self-proclaimed NaNoReaMo, either. I remember the first few times I ran across the NaNo phrase and thought it was some sort of grammar no-no. Or worse. Maybe there was a special place for those grammar violators, like the naughty chair.

Come to find out it was neither, as most of you know I'm sure. Fully impressed by such a devoted process, I told myself that I would participate this year. I even set up one of those author pages and downloaded my cover and brief logline. You see it in my right sidebar. My next love: Disorderly Compact.

Then I attended MuseCon two weeks ago. It changed my mind. Not that NaNoWriMo is bad. On the contrary, it's a great activity to devote oneself. But from what I learned at a few of my workshops and from reading some wonderful posts online, a writer shouldn't just jump into NaNoWriMo with both feet. One should have a plan.

It's a valiant gesture to commit yourself to writing an entire novel (50,000+ words) in a month. To take a mere idea, formulate and nurture it in 25 to 30 days is a feat. But what happens if you fail? Is there some NaNo god somewhere who will hold you responsible? Will your peers NaNo you in shame?

Probably not, but will all that effort help you?

We write because we love it. You may decide to write a poem just for fun. Or maybe you want to write up a story for a young kid's birthday. Both of these have reasons; one is for fun, the other is a gift. Both have purpose. If you're participating in NaNoWriMo, I'm sure one of your purposes is to complete a manuscript. But I'm also sure by participating that you are serious about honing your craft.

From some of the posts that I've read, a lot of writers write like mad dogs during this event. Awesomesausesome! But more than not, writers end up doing nothing with the work they produced or they spend the next year editing over and over and over. There was no focus or rode mapped out before the writing began. Some get lost in the confusion of scenes and holes in the story and end up starting over anyway. I'm sure you don't want that. Your time and effort is valuable.

Now, I'm all for brainstorming or mind mapping. Just read my article HERE. But if I'm going to write for a month nonstop, concentrating on one story, than I better get something out of it. For me, everything I write, read, and observe is to hone my skills as a writer. And I want that for you, too.

I'm sure NaNoWriMo can be a great writing experience and learning tool, so here's some of the advice I've heard.

1. Brainstorm your ideas BEFORE you being.
2. If at all possible, write up an outline or at the very least a sketch of your ideas.
3. Envision scenes and jot them down.
4. Even better, write up a synopsis.
5. AND of course, eat chocolate!! You've got to do that.

AS you may have guessed, I've opted out of participating this year. I was fortunate enough at MuseCon to fully plot out DISORDERLY COMPACT; however, I still don't feel I have enough scene ideas to fill all the gaps and get to my goal of completion. 

So, during November, I'll be silently participating and keeping track right here in the Alleyway. If anyone wants to join me, sweet! Just head over to get a NaNoWordMeter and paste it on your site. (If you don't have a site, keep track at home.) Then, each of the four Wednesdays, we'll meet in the IMPETUS ROOM at the top of Writers' Ally and share our progress. 

Good Luck!

For those who are participating in this year's NaNoWriMo, I wish you the best of luck and productivity. For those who are not, let's just keep writing.

Sheri OUT! ~