Everywhere you go, people will tell you NaNoWriMo is writing 50,000 words in a month. In fact, I said just such a thing on this blog.
Well, I now beg to disagree. There's something else to it.
NaNoWriMo is the art of finding time where there is none.
Yes, NaNo participants will take that time and use it to write a novel. The 50,000-words draft that comes out of this month of madness is not the only miracle that happens during November, however. There is another one, more precious in my opinion.
The realization that we have more time on our hands than we thought.
It is amazing what you can do with a tiny 15 minutes. What is also amazing is the amount of time we waste every day. Of course, we can't spend our entire life grasping for every quarter of hour we can find. Doing it for a month is exhausting enough!
NaNoWriMo taught me that while procrastinating is fun, it doesn't compare to the satisfaction of a day well spent. When you got all your chores done and you can just sit back, relax, and tell yourself you've been a good girl.
When December hits and you stop writing, try to remember what you learned this month. You have more time than you believe. You can get things done.
And now, Wrimos, stop procrastinating, and go back to your writing!
I love this. You are absolutely right. NanoWriMo is about showing us as writers that all of those past excuses about not having time... are CRAP!! lol :) I love that I am doing this, it has allowed for me to realize that I can ALWAYS make time!
ReplyDeleteGood post and good point. I can't write in 15-minute stints. However, I can do other things in those little time gaps that then leave me free to write for a whole hour I otherwise wouldn't have had free. Very useful consideration, applicable way past November. :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I give all of my Wrimos a packet of stickies every year and tell them to jot down any little bits of scenes on them whenever they can. You can write the book a sticky at a time, if that's all you have time for. And it's amazing how much time you can find in the day, when you try.
ReplyDeleteMargo: You're right that this applies out of NaNoWriMo. It's amazing how many good habits you can pick up during the month, and carry on through the year. (Of course, it's amazing how many bad ones you can pick, too).
ReplyDeleteSticky: M'hahaha, I wish I could see a Stickies-Novel lined up on a wall. Or many walls, I imagine.
Kristy: Keep making time after the month is over, and it'll suddenly seem like you can do anything! ^^ It's amazing what I managed to do in December with these little 15 minutes.