First, let me say that if NaNo works for you, great. We all have to find what works for us and go with it, which is exactly why I don't jump on board the NaNo train. It doesn't work for me.
The whole point of the exercise is to get a rough first draft of your novel down on paper (or computer) in a single month. If you're the type of person who doesn't edit as they write, then that could work out great for you. I don't work that way. After publishing twelve stories, my brain has been shoved full of all these interesting little bits of information that tells me to make sure a sentence is exactly the way I want it before I move on. Sometimes that's a pain, but it also helps me down the road when I actually reach the editing process.
My point is that if you aren't participating in NaNo or if you're sitting there looking at what you've accomplished so far this November and are beating yourself up, don't. A book takes as long to write as it takes. And every writer writes differently. If Nano doesn't work for you, find what does and go with that.
Did you participate in Nano this year? Why or why not?
I am participating this year for my seventh year. I do a little self editing as I go through the story, but I try not to do major alternations to the story until the first draft is done.
ReplyDeleteI like to take part because I find the community and support to be amazing and it really boosts my motivation to get cracking on my stories.