Is trying to write an entire novel in one month possible?
Lately I've been thinking about trying to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), where the idea (at least I think it is) to write an entire novel in one month. Is this even possible?
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It's important to understand what NaNoWriMo is, and what it isn't.
One of the things that it is, is a powerful demonstration that yes, it is possible. If you write your words every day, they will add up. If you stick at it, you will reach novel-length. If you let the words flow, they will come, even if they won't all be perfect.
It can be a liberating experience. Liberating, because it's a vivid demonstration that writing a novel is an attainable goal. And liberating, because in order to get that kind of wordcount (particularly for a relative novice), you need to let go of your inhibitions, of your self-doubt, of your internal critic and editor, and allow yourself to write for length, rather than perfection.
That's one of the huge stumbling blocks that beginners have -- they want to be writing fantastic, exhilarating prose (like the stories they love so much!), but they don't know that prose underwent multiple drafts, that those writers had years of experience, that those authors might have a trunkload of unpublished novels. Writing for length short-circuits that -- and so NaNoWriMo gives you a quick way to build up bulk, which may not be a finished product, but it can be a lot easier to work with than a blank page!
All that being said, NaNoWriMo isn't a quick path to producing excellent fiction. That novel is a first draft -- and often, it's a first draft that was very rushed, by a beginning writer, without even much of a sense of direction. There's no reason to expect it to be very good -- not until you start editing and rewriting it.
So, in summary: NaNoWriMo's quick, quick writing is totally doable, but you need to understand that the product will be a quick first draft, not a polished product. A quick first draft can be a huge thing for a writer, and I wouldn't dismiss it in a hurry -- but if, for whatever reason, that isn't what you want right now, then NaNoWriMo may not be for you.
(More broadly speaking, there are certainly some authors who write very quickly, and that works for them well professionally. Whether or not you're one of these is something you'll have to discover for yourself :) )
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