Monday, November 2, 2009

NaBloPoMo vs NaNoWriMo

My sister is going to participate in this writing challenge called NaNoWriMo. The goal of the challenge is to write a novel in one month, November. I heard a few suggestions that I should do this as well. And my response is: HAHAHAHAHA! I can't even keep up with my blog! There should be a November blogging challenge. What do ya know, there is! It's called NaBloPoMo.

I'm not even going to pretend that I can pronounce either one of those crazy acronyms.

My husband and my oldest daughter participated in a song writing challenge called FAWM. And then they halfheartedly participated in another one called 50/90. While they were deep in their FAWM work, I saw very little of them. Every extra minute of spare time was spent creating, writing and recording. I am proud of their accomplishments, but I missed them both.

These challenges are all kind of the same type of deal. They are motivators to get the creative juices going and get you to spit out something, anything, just to get going on that writing project that you always wished you would do. I think it's a great idea to get a person going on something if they are the type that needs a kick in the pants to get it started and dedicate themselves to it. And, I am exactly that type of person!

I do not have the luxery of telling my family to fend for themselves for a month. Can you imagine that?! The world as we know it would cease to exist and chaos would ensue in a matter of hours. Thirty days of me typing away while my little world is neglected would really not work out very well. I can't even go to the bathroom by myself, when would I have all this time to write every day!

I'm sure that if I participated in one of these writing challenges, I would do either one of two things: 1. I would start off with the best intentions and type for three days straight, never to return to it again in the month of November, or 2. I would complete the writing challenge and have pages of word salad. These challenges lack the motivation to write quality, they are all about quantity. Maybe that's where quality comes from, a big garden of writing compost. But, I'm not so sure that it's for me.

I do enjoy writing, but I don't do it with much of a goal in mind. I just do it for me and for my own amusement. I don't have any lofty goals of getting published or finding fame and fortune in authorship. But, it is November, the month that so many people are vowing to write more. And so I will join that bandwagon on my own terms. I promise to write more blog posts in November. I have been a slacker lately. However, there are only 30 days in November, so I don't promise a whole lot. Sorry, no novels. Don't get too excited! But, I am hoping to blog more this month. Just for fun!

Even though I'm not up to the writing challenge, I wish all of you who are participating lots of creative luck! Enjoy and Happy Writing!

3 comments:

Living With Cavemen said...

Yes, it a crazy challenge. And it is just what you said....get those creative j. uices flowing and get it out of your head & onto paper (or computer document). Then Dec & Jan you rifle through your madness of words & let the editor inside you have it's way. The result....a finished novel! Oct is spent for the preparation of the NaNoWriMo, get your idea, do your research, make out character, setting, and story outlines. Then Nov it just pours out. it's like running a mental marathon some days.

Yes, there should be a blogger month. April is NaPo (National Poems).

I could have never done any of this when my kids were little. Last year was the first year I tried. Did not succeed, so I'm hoping for a better outcome this time around.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

The novel thing is crazy! I'm always surprised that so many people do NaBlPoMo in November--I think all the Thanksgiving activity makes November a more difficult month than usual in which to post daily.

Wolfpak5 said...

I agree, who has the time to write a novel in a month. There never is enough time in a day to get what I need to get done anyway.