Savannah Knightly

Like anything popular, NaNoWriMo is really tempting. It’s definitely something to boast about – “I wrote 50,000 words in a month!” And it might be a good way to get yourself a boost on social media. Having said that, though, NaNoWriMo is a bad idea for me.

5 Reasons Why NaNoWriMo Is a Bad Idea for Me

1. Word count and writing quality are not equal.

Yeah, I could force 50,000 words out in a month, but how many of them would be worth keeping? I have a feeling I’d end up re-writing most or all of it, and, honestly, that’s makes the value go crashing down. Given a choice between a month of writing fast and a month of writing well, I’d rather have the latter. Some progress that I can keep most of is better for me than a lot of progress I then have to sort through and rewrite in large chunks.

But my goal is to finish a novel that I can sell (I hope). Trying to do it faster just because isn’t a good way to get a higher quality product.

2. I already have a writing habit.

One of the biggest reasons to do NaNoWriMo is to get yourself into the habit of writing at least an hour every day. I already have a writing habit, which sends that reason out the window.

3. I’m not a social writer.

It’s a strain for me to write posts on a blog about my writing. Posting or chatting with people about it in a writing network does not appeal to me at all. And there goes the other big benefit of NaNoWriMo – a network of other people interested in writing that you can talk to for encouragement or advice. If that’s not your thing (and it’s definitely not mine), then, the benefits of NaNoWriMo drop drastically.

4. I don’t need a discount on a writing tool.

Honestly, when you take the hours of writing and consider my hourly wage, it’d be cheaper to pay full price for the tool if I decide I want it. Maybe that would be a big plus for someone young who doesn’t have a career yet, but it isn’t for me.

5. I don’t deal well with pressure.

I have enough issues to deal with without voluntarily adding large pressures to the list. The closest I’m coming is to give myself a goal date to finish the book by (OMG, is that really almost here?), and I’ve already shown that I’m willing to adjust that rather than sacrifice writing quality.

So, no, NaNoWriMo. I have enough anxiety – thanks anyway.