Pros and Cons of NaNoWriMo

Since it’s November, I thought I’d ask writers, who have accepted the challenge, about what are the pros and cons of NaNoWriMo.

I haven’t done a genuine NaNoWriMo. November is a terrible month for me to set time aside for a marathon of writing. So a friend and I decided to do our own version in March of 2022. March is usually a very boring month for me. Because I have a lot of neck, shoulder, and back pain from writing, I set a goal of one hundred hand written pages–I always handwrite my first draft. My friend and I held each other accountable, but so many other events and activities interfered with my goal.

I only finished fifty pages, and only forty of those were any good. But they were the kickstart to my second novel. I also learned a lot about my peculiar process for writing, which has helped me write faster.

Pros and Cons

Pros: I had a goal and a friend with whom I could share my successes and failures as I worked toward that goal. I also learned I can’t write a first draft from beginning to end. I write four or five chapters, type that up, edit a bit and then move on to the next few chapters. Understanding that that’s my style keeps me from worrying about getting enough done.

Cons: I had a goal. When I wasn’t meeting that goal, I could get anxious. I have to give myself permission to fail because family matters that had to take precedence kept cropping up. Because of my physical problems, I couldn’t sit and write for hours.

Now let me hear from you. If you’ve done NaNoWriMo, what are the pros and cons you’ve discovered?

For more tips or inspiration for NaNoWriMo, click here.