NaNoWriMo, revisited

It's November again, and that means "NaNoWriMo," at least for some people.

I've been asked a number of times why I don't "do" NaNoWriMo... and even though I've toyed with it a few times, I just never have. Perhaps the most central reason is that I just don't write fiction. And the "No" part is short for "novel" and I have little to no interest in actually writing a novel.

One year I tried to "adapt" the NaNoWriMo concept to fit my style by embarking on a challenge to "write 30 articles in 30 days" but it didn't really work out for me.

I suppose it is not surprising: Even in the past, "structured" writing exercises have never been my friend. Whereas I recognize their value-- as a tool to "get in the habit" of writing every day, creating something to a "writing prompt" had never resulted in my churning out anything better than "mediocre garbage."

The "lure" if it is there, every year, however. I start seeing posts on forums and Facebook, and I start getting notices in my email... and I start thinking "Maybe I should DO that!"

But no, I'm going to pass.