What I learned

I tried out the National Novel Writing Month challenge last month. It was my first time doing it. I was confident and sure of myself, even though I only became aware of it coming up in only a few days. I saw everyone around me preparing for the difficult month long odyssey they would be taking, so far as for some of the staff to email their encouraging emails over the course of it.

I actually found those parts irritating and disregarded them completely. It was my self-imposed challenge and I didn't need to be lectured how to do it or prepare myself a bomb-shelter in the case something went hairy. Although it MIGHT have been helpful to have, in hindsight.

I decided to try and write at least 1,667 words a day, which was 1/30 of 50,000. When I wrote, it was better to do so with a group of people doing 'word wars' or something, where they encourage everyone to write as many words as possible in a short time slot. Those went well for me and I even got ahead of my needed quota of the day by maybe double. When I stated my overconfidence, some forum friends told me not to get full of myself in a sort of 'action speaks louder than words' way. While I understand it now, it really irked me at the time that people would discourage me from feeling good about my work so far when I HAVE been doing action.

I don't know exactly what happened over the course of the month crunch. I know it happened around Thanksgiving break though. I procrastinated a lot and when I usually wrote what I needed, it was behind and done until late at night. By the time it was the 27th, I was 12K words short, and a part of me felt I COULD write 4K each night to barely make it. Turns out I didn't, and by the next day, I said 'screw this' and quit.

My older brother, who also failed his NaNo last year, told me it was meant as an exercise to keep writing everyday, a sort of lesson or moral as a writer. I didn't get it, if I had to have my brother tell me. I sought this more as a fun challenge to try and get my NaNo on my first try, but I'm one of the many that failed.

I believe myself as a capable writer, despite needing an editor to clean off the rough edges of my work. However, I'm still young and tend to get... distracted. Writing is fun thing for me, sure, but I can't see myself sitting in a chair and pouring my entire imagination down. My mind gets excited to the point I don't think I can even BEGIN to try and put it down to words to share. My imagination is so powerful it works in lightspeed-no... Ludicrous Speed... yeah, I made a Spaceballs joke. Hope it amused you.

The point is, it got me thinking into taking writing a bit more seriously. The whole experience did. I sometimes need to kick my pants into writing whether I feel the 'mood' for it or not... especially when I don't feel the mood. It also got me to try and write something I just came up on the fly and what I would write if having no restrictions. It was an even mix between comedy, drama, action, adventure, fantasy, romance... and some adult situations. All wrapped in something that would be considered parody for all, just a little. And man was it fun.

I doubt I'll do another NaNo next year, as I felt more pressured than relaxed trying to write something like that. Although the pressure did get me to writing something instead of waiting around. 38,708 words is an accomplishment in itself, something I take pride in. May not be a winner in the NaNoWriMo race, but oh well.

Then again, November 2011 is a long ways off from now. I might change my mind later, and if I do, I'll look back at this and try to tackle this experience differently. As well as give myself more time to actively write if it's truly my calling.