I crossed the finish line two days ago. Fifty thousand words in twenty-eight days. It’s quite an accomplishment. I had to continue for two more days because I wanted all the badges.
So how does it feel to have all the badges? Here’s the thing about being an adult who craves the validation of my scribbles on someone’s refrigerator door: every certificate, every badge, every sticker, every ribbon–they’re old news the moment I get them. Now I want more badges for something I haven’t even begun yet.
When will I learn? I’m over fifty (I wasn’t part of the generation who received participation trophies) so I’m thinking at this point, I’ll just have to live with it. The rest of my life will be the pursuit of recognition artifacts which will mean nothing to me once I have them.
But back to NaNoWriMo. There are some positive takeaways:
- The act of writing when nothing is “flowing” still produces results. Inspiration isn’t necessary.
- Producing a large document in a short period of time quantifies a standard for the future. I can look back and say, “Well, actually, I CAN write 50,000 words in a month.”
- Hey, look at these badges!
- Even though I’m not happy overall with what I wrote, I do actually LOVE two of the characters I created. They have a future if the story doesn’t.
- NaNoWriMo is an organization that supports writers and writing. It was a pleasure to return that support and be a part of it.
On the other hand,
- This was the first time I dreaded writing. Number one sign that this method doesn’t work for me.
- Quantity isn’t quality. If there are any diamonds in that piece of crap, my hands will smell like shit for weeks after digging through it to find them.
- I now have a special dislike for the number “1,667”.
Even though it wasn’t for me, I recommend the organization and taking part in the November challenge. In particular, if you’re the type of writer who wants to write but procrastinates for some reason, meeting the word count goal could be the kick in the ass you’ve been looking for. The site and the staff working behind it are excellent motivators. Resources are plentiful. There are more rewards offered than the badges I coveted. Every writer should at least give the site a chance.
Next November, I’ll be elsewhere, though.
