My Top Ten Reasons to NaNo!

Hurrah for October! Fall and Halloween and apple goodies! And - one month until NaNoWriMo! (I can already tell I'm in the NaNo spirit because I feel a day behind as I write this, even though no word count's required yet =D)

For those who don't know, NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - is an annual challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in November. There are few rules, but plenty of excitement,  and to convince newcomers to join, the awesome people at NaNoWriMo.org made a list of 10 Reasons You Should Do NaNoWriMo. It's an excellent list - but there're more than ten reasons to NaNo...to WriMo...to NoWri...you get the idea.

So, ascending in order of importance, here are my top ten reasons to join NaNoWriMo!

#10

This is your chance to try whatever writing idea you want! Whether that's writing in a new genre, with a new sort of viewpoint, a new style, or heck, writing at all - this is your time to experiment, and nobody has to see your attempts!

#9

Trying new and challenging things is good! NaNo will liven up your Novemeber, and if nothing else, the adrenaline as you race the clock to midnight on the 30th will make your Thanksgiving weekend more interesting.

#8

You learn to write by writing. 50,000 words in 30 days is a serious crash course.

#7

Get your inner editor to shut up - the 30-day timeframe leaves no time for his/her/its nitpicking!

#6 

Your story can surprise you, take new turns and gain fascinating depth, when you're writing at a million miles and hour. Even you planners may find your story getting away from you as the month goes on.

#5 

You'll find time in your day that you didn't realize existed. If you're really motivated, you can then use this time for more writing once November is over! ...Or, you know, catch up on sleep, if that's your thing.

#4

NaNo gets the ideas you have out of your head and onto the page. Even if the idea feels poor or unfinished or bad, you can't work with what you don't have. 

#3

The NaNo community, just by existing, holds you accountable for your wordcount - and they'll give you a hand with research or motivation if you need  it. 

#2

There's no failure in NaNo except not starting at all. No, I'm serious - even if you only write 100 words, that's one-hundred words that probably wouldn't have existed if you hadn't tried!

#1

NaNoWriMo turns "someday I'll write that novel" into "This November, I will write my novel".

Good luck on your NaNo voyage if you decide to join in. Sign up for an account on NaNoWriMo.org - you'll be able to post on the forums, join a region and learn about write-ins in your area, and best of all, get a nifty wordcount meter you can spam across the internet! Hooray!