So, this is the last weekend before NaNoWriMo begins. I will be signing up for it again this year (or rather, my alter ego will be, but when it comes to being the one getting words down onto the screen, that pretty much accounts for the same thing). November is, for me, my busiest month of the year, so why do I do it in the first place?

The challenge. This has to be the biggest driver for me. I love the competition, trying to get in as many words as possible. I try to keep up with the leaders of whatever regional lounge I’m in, which has varied over the years depending on where I’m living at the time. There is always a handful of power writers in each forum and I like to put myself right up there with them.

Despite the competition, there is also the camaraderie. Writing is a lonely sport – or can be if you let it – so November is that one time of year when it is easy to find a kindred spirit. Many of them in fact, all handily grouped in one place. As more and more people have signed up, often just to be part of it with no real intention of actually writing a damn word, this has been harder and harder to do, but it is still very much possible. Just be wary of the people talking on the forums too much if their word counts aren’t moving. NaNoWriMo can be a really useful tool for the beginning writer, but only if you get the words down.

Finally, it moves my next project along. In everything I write, there is a point between about 30,00 and 40,000 words where I get disheartened. That bit right there is where I tend to just think ‘this is all crap’ and want to consign it to the great trash bin in the sky. With Nano I don’t have time for such self indulgence. It doesn’t matter if I think it is crap or not, by that point I am close enough to 50,000 words to just keep ploughing on regardless. Just keep putting words down. In reality, when I go back over the finished piece, there will be no real difference in quality between what I wrote during and after. There may be more spelling mistakes – a natural consequence of me trying to move my fingers faster than the human body was designed to do – but that is hardly an issue in the world post-typewriter. An extra twenty minutes using spellcheck is nothing compared to the extra 20 hours of doing it more carefully.

I use Scrivener as my main writing tool, because it allows me to do as much pre-writing as I need to make the whole process as speedy as possible. I think a lot of people run out of steam because they haven’t actually worked through their idea and done the groundwork prior to November 1st, so either write themselves into a corner or have no idea what happens next. That can be challenging and if you don’t have the mental tools to get out of it, you’ll grind to a halt. So that would be my final comment on why do it: if nothing else, it will force you to think like a writer as well.

So, if you’re a beginner or a newbie, I think NaNoWriMo is a fun but challenging way to kick start your writing. Don’t delay, sign up today!