Five Cures for the Non-Nanowrimo Syndrome by Kerry Schafer

If you are suffering from the "Non-Nanowrimo Syndrome" this November, you are not alone.

As everyone in the writing community knows, November is the month for writing insanity. We all know the expectation:

Block out anything extraneous and unnecessary to your survival. Lay in the snacks. Pack the kids off on an extended vacation or to an orphanage or something. Kennel the pets. Kill the houseplants to avoid watching them wither. And write as though not only your life but also your soul depends on it.

But every year there are those who, for one reason or another, do not engage with Nanowrimo. And many of these outcasts members of the writing community suffer deeply, either from a vague but insidious guilt, or from a sense of missing out on something.

People are saying things like this:

"I skipped Nano this year. The guilt is so heavy I can hardly drag my body out of bed in the morning."

"Everybody but me is writing a novel in a month. I am a social outcast. A Pariah. I'm not sure I can go on living."

In all honesty I haven't really heard anybody say any of these things. I did, however, query the Non-Nanowrimo Participants on Twitter the other night, and these are actual answers to my question: "Who isn't doing Nanowrimo this year, and why not?":

@KerrySchafer Because I'm too busy and buried in edits and slightly burnt out, and buried in edits. #busy

@KerrySchafer I will make up for my snark. I'm not doing Nano because I'm already mid too many projects.

@KerrySchafer I'm not--because I'm rewriting a book. *bangs head into a wall* I CRAVE NEW STORIES!!!

@KerrySchafer I am totally *not* doing it. I have too many projects to finish to bother starting a new one :)

@KerrySchafer I also do not tend to do Nano because I prefer to let my stories write themselves at their own pace (most of which is fast)

@kerryschafer Me! I'm working on WIP edits instead.

@KerrySchafer She's not online right now, but [name redacted] isn't because she always gets sick in November XD

@KerrySchafer me, wanted to but since my book was released Nov 1st most of my energy is going toward promotion.

@KerrySchafer Same reason I've never done it-the pressure would kill me. I don't perform well under pressure of external forces.

@KerrySchafer me! I lack lots of time due to day job and rewrites on my current work.

*raises hand* SQUIRREL!!!! RT @KerrySchafer: Twitter Poll: Who is NOT doing Nanowrimo this year, and why not?

As you can see, the reasons for not playing mostly fall into three categories:

1. Too busy


2. Finishing up another writing project


3. Doesn't fit with writing style

Courageous writers who have chosen to refrain from Nanowrimo this year – I salute you. Whatever your reason, I'm sure it was a good one, and had nothing to do with slothfulness or fear of a challenge.  In fact, as Solomon would certainly have said if his calendar had included November, "There is a time to nano and a time to refrain from nanoing, a time for all things under the sun." He was a very wise man, that Solomon. And I believe that sometimes refraining from a breakneck writing challenge is an act of wisdom as well.

I would also offer that even if you're not doing Nanowrimo this year, you can still harness the abundant creative energy for your own purposes.  (And yes, I know the month is already half over. All the more reason to celebrate what remains.) Here are five tips to help you not only survive, but thrive, during the rest of November:

1. Join in one of the #1k/1hr  or #amwriting sprints. Nobody cares whether you're a Nanowriman or not. Follow the hashtag, find people who are writing, and dive in. You can do this for new words, blog posts, edits, revisions, whatever. There are no rules – make it your own.


2. Play cheerleader for writers who are flagging, frustrated, or succeeding. This has a way of increasing your enthusiasm for your own work.


3. Set your own slightly impossible goal – whatever that means for you. If you don't have a weekly word quota, experiment with setting one. If you already have one, raise it by a few words.


4. Play. Dare to experiment a little, for this is the true meaning of Nanowrimo.


5. Be kind to yourself. As writers we spend way too much time clonking ourselves over the head with self criticism and guilt. Take a moment to acknowledge what you have accomplished. Never forget: Every Word Counts.