Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? Do you write fiction for pleasure? Do you fantasize about writing a novel someday? If so, why haven't you done so so far?

-- Anonymous, November 04, 2001

Answers

I'm supposedly writing one, though I'm short by about 2,000 words only four days in. In part because it sounds like fun - a kind of masochistic, brain-beating fun - and in part because even though I don't admit it, I like to PRETEND there's a writer inside me, and I've just got to see if it's just dormant or completely dead.

The basic premise of the project appeals to me. And to see that folks are already at the 30,000, even 40,000 mark and nearly there? Whew.

I mean, Chris Baty said himself, "you will be writing a lot of crap." But with 5,000 people involved, and a (perhaps optimistic) "success" rate of maybe 10 percent, that's 500 pieces of writing that didn't exist before November. Quality notwithstanding, that's a lot of CREATION going on, and I just like that.

Why haven't I written one so far? Like most "writers" I have a drawer full of several unfinished prologues. Was it losing the muse? Just no time? In either case, this goofy project forces me to discard all pretenses of writing as a serious craft and just do it.

-- Anonymous, November 05, 2001

I am not participating in NaNoWriMo. You couldn't pay me to do so either. I just don't get the hype. But whatever floats your boat right?

Oh, and I don't write fiction, and I don't ever intend to write a novel. If I had to pick I'd rather run a marathon (which will never happen).

-- Anonymous, November 05, 2001

I'm one of those wacky participants, and I'm crazy behind. In fact, that's what I should be doing right now.

I'm doing it because I am a writer. That is what I do. and I know that my first novel is going to be crap, so I might as well give myself deadlines and get the first draft of the first novel the hell out of the way so I can write good shit and get published.

Or so I'm telling myself...

-- Anonymous, November 05, 2001

Yes, I am doing NaNoWriMo, first time novel-er here. And I do not like having to capitalize every other letter every time I type it :-)

Why now? I work well under the dichotomy of "no pressure" and "deadline driven." Weird, I know. What appeals to me is that I am writing this only for me, for my approval, no one else will see it, unless I show it to them. It's giving me license to unleash something...in a supportive and creative environment without the fear of disappointing someone else (professor, boss, prospective boss.)

And focusing for one month helps. Plus, November is a slow month at work ;-) Wish me luck!

-- Anonymous, November 05, 2001

I think November is a terrible month for this project. Its a good idea for february though.

I try to write fiction for pleasure. Its so hard that I took up running to give myself something else to do so I'd feel like I accomplished something.

I am contemplating a marathon, and its a totally different thing than a novel. For instance, just finishing a marathon is an accomplishment, and you can do it over and over and have a quantitative and even qualitative measure of improvement (shorter times, feel less like dying at 23 miles, that kind of thing). But with novels, so you finish one but it still sucks. Its a hard thing. Its also hard to write a half of a novel, but easy to see running a half-marathon. I think it would be easier for me to do the marathon than a novel.

I, like Judith of http://www.calamondin.com, will participate in cleaning up my room month. see http://www.ftrain.com/cleaning_the_room.html for details.

-- Anonymous, November 05, 2001

I confess, it's things like this NaNoWriMo thing that make me swear that I will never start (or pretend I'm starting) a novel. I have plenty of dumb ideas to make me feel silly; being one of the thousands of people with a perpetually unfinished novel in the works just doesn't appeal to me.

Plus, my college roommate had that same job you had, going through the slush pile. I figure every one of those people was someone like me, an English major whose friends and family assured her she was a great writer. I have no illusions that I'm any better than any of those people.

-- Anonymous, November 05, 2001

I do have a couple of partly written novels but I won't feel I've failed my life if I never finish them. I agree with Jen Bombpop that NaNoWriMo would be better done in a slower month, although with all the post-9.11 emotions running around, maybe it's a good time to be creative. I tried to declare November as International Dissertation Writing Month for me (with posted word counts), but between teaching and moving, I don't know if those word counts are going to move much.

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2001

I am not participating in NaNoWriMo... in fact, this is the first time I've heard of it, but I'm not very hip to the diarist-pop- culture. I am, however, one of those Great American Novelists, and someday I too will send my life's work in an envelope with an SASE, just so that I can get a Great American Rejection Slip, which I will frame and put on my wall.

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2001

I am particpating in NaNoo NaNoo. It's a wonderful time filler for me. My lil' angel goes to spend time with Dragon Lady a couple of weekends out of the month and since I have no girlfirend to drink wine and run around naked with in an empty house, what better use of my time is there? I mean hell, even if I had a girlfirend to drink wine with and run around naked in the house with I'd probably still spend most of my time sitting at my puter pouring out delicous bits of prose that no one will ever give a damb about.

It's a no-brainer. Passionate love making, romantic fireside cuddling and orifice filling or hours spent dribbling out delightful storyline twists that no sane person will ever be able to follow. My love life sux. I want a girlfriend. Will fly for sex.

-- Anonymous, November 29, 2001