The instigator of the thread basically posits that there is no point to doing Nanowrimo. He says that anyone can join and that what most people will be writing is tons of crap that isn't publishable. There are a lot of other participants who've rushed to defend the concept of Nanowrimo and to that, I say, hurray! If you have to ask what the point is, you've probably completely missed it anyway.
Why does anyone want to write a novel in a month? There are probably as many reasons as there are participants. And who's to say that one reason isn't as valid as the next? Nanowrimo is all about getting the motivation to write and to join a community of writers who understand what you're going through. Sure, any person can join--but why act elitist about it? Part of the writing process is to just get the words down. A lot of people who want to write novels don't even do that.
If you want to join a small writers group who's goal is to get published, then join another group. Nanowrimo's purpose is to get writing. I'm sure a lot of words churned out during November is "crap" but that doesn't mean that nobody's trying. Besides, I don't think such a paragon exists who can turn out perfect prose the first time. If someone really wants to write crap, they can just copy and paste the same word 50,000 times. And editing...well, that's a different process. You'll have to check up on Nanoedmo for that.
I was just surfing for NaNoWriMo stuff and found your blog entry. I also addressed this issue on my novel blog, which is exactly your point--it's about getting out there and pushing yourself, just doing it.
I am in a "serious" novel group as well, one where everyone is trying to publish, and they still see this as a great idea--a way to infuse enthusiasm back into your writing aspirations.
The point in doing NaNoWrimo for me is just to see if I can do it.
I don't like the process of drafting. In some ways I'm violently opposed to it. I do think it can produce crap. Keyword: can
I just did a post called 99 Ideas : Reject the First on this topic. For me, blindly following the muse through the drafting process is an act of accepting the first idea the comes along. You have to accept the first ideas that come along, otherwise you're not writing. It wouldn't be called drafting then. Unless you've got all your ideas laid out beforehand, but few people do.
More than anything, I think what NaNoWrimo provides is community and hope. A community of people who want to believe, like you, that they can write a novel in 30 days.
Hope that they can actually finish a novel, and the experiment set up right before them which allows them to try.
Even though I disagree with the method, I want to participate in the community, and I feel empowered to try out something I don't normally do.
Helena - I've been in serious writing groups as well, and generally Nano has been looked upon positively. Nano isn't a replacement for a serious group, but rather a fun and motivational supplement to the writing process.
Redchurch - As I've said before, there are as many reasons for doing Nano as there are people doing it. Doing it just because it's fun is a valid enough reason for me.
I suppose I'll have to disagree with you about your opposition for a method that can produce crap. Nothing's perfect and but you can always learn from your mistakes. It's like a chemistry experiment--the first run-through may produce a useless chemical, but at least you've learned where you might have gone wrong and maybe, that useless chemical might not be so useless.
"Nothing's perfect and but you can always learn from your mistakes."
Very true. Sometimes those things make you a better writer, but don't necessarily improve the immediate work.
What I mean is, some things you can't fix in an editing pass. If in the haste and rush of things you messed up one of the core ideas, or chose the wrong core idea for the story to focus on, then you might as well start over. Some things you can't edit.
I'm busy preparing this month to try and find the core of what I want to write about for my NaNoWrimo story because I know once I get rolling, there's no going back. If I'm going to make mistakes, I'd rather they be minor rather than major--something that CAN be fixed in an editing pass or 2nd draft.
I'm doing NaNoWrimo to have fun, but I don't want the exercise to be 'just practice' - it'd be nice to actually have something tangible to share with others at the end of it.
