Time for True Confessions of the Writing Kind

Okay, okay, you beat it out of me--I did not participate in Nanowrimo this year.

"What?" you scream in horror, your hands clutching your face, your eyes big as full moons.

Yep, or I mean nope, not doing it this year. Notice that I don't even have the decency to pretend to be ashamed. I'm a disgrace and I know it. What can I say, I just didn't feel the whole Nanowrimo love this year. Maggie Stiefvater gives some great reasons for not participating. So does Cassandra Giovanni's in her Anti-Nanowrimo post.

Nice to come across two posts on the main problem with the concept of writing garbage just to get to the 50,000 word count. I don't agree with writing nonstop without at least considering plot, characterizations, consistency, etc. Last year I participated and finished the first draft of a YA book. I'd be lying if I didn't agree that it felt good to finish a complete draft in a month, but when I read through it, I realized it was a mess and knew I had months of editing and revisions ahead of me. Groan.

Another problem I have with the Nanowrimo organization is their constant requests for donations. I donated last year before the month of November; I'm never opposed to donating to a good cause. I am as generous as I can afford, I simply wasn't interested in giving again and again and again. Kind of turned me against the concept.

A third reason, which has nothing to do with the whole write for word count or request for donations overkill, is that I am currently working on a Chapter Book. A chapter book is the reading step between early readers and middle grade. They tend to be between 10,000 and 15,000 words and are a ton of fun to write.  I guess I did my own version of the Nanowrimo because I wrote, revised, submitted to my critique group, and re-revised all within the month of November. What do you know?

Anyway, for those of you participating, good for you, but please do a lot of editing before sending out your book-in-a-month project.