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This is adapted from an article that appeared on the Write Stuff website on December 02, 2007. The original text can be found here.

What NaNoWriMo Taught Me

For 30 days in November I, and thousands of other insane individuals around the world (including a few regulars to this site) engaged in a challenge; a writing marathon, the challenge of writing a novel of 50,000 words in one month. NaNoWriMo does not sound challenging to many who hear about it. “Writing isn’t hard. Only 50,000 words? Easy.” To those people I can only suggest that you try it...

With two days left to go, my word count stood at 43,240. I broke the 50,000 target by early afternoon on the final day, but it was not easy. Not by a long shot.

Has it been worthwhile? Unequivocally yes. If you add up all the words of fiction I have ever written before November, then I don’t think it would amount to 50,000. November was the proving ground. In November I earned the right to call myself a writer.

I finished NaNoWriMo, but I am not finished with the story. Not yet. It was only half-told (possibly less than that). This story has been inside me for over ten years and will finally be told. This is what November, and NaNoWriMo, have taught me:

1. Writing is not easy

Anyone who thinks it is, doesn’t write. Physically it is difficult. You sit in one place, for an extended period of time, getting cramps from typing (I am full of admiration for those who manage this longhand!) and backache from hunching over. And the mental exertion involved is tremendous. I spent twenty minutes trying to decide on the best name for a character who features in one paragraph only. I had to remind myself that at this stage, his name wasn’t important, only the story mattered! But in creating a story you create a world, it is not enough to randomly throw together some names - the names have their own personalities, their own histories, their own stories. You may not tell them, but as a writer you have to be conscious that for these characters (even bit players) to be realistic and believable, they have to have that vital essence. And that is not an easy world to create.

2. Characters and stories are organic

Following on from from the fact that you are creating a world full of vital, living characters, you have to accept that not only will your story change as you write it, but your characters will change too. Whatever plan you come up with beforehand, you will deviate from it. Characters you considered secondary will rise to the challenge. Main characters will sink into the background. Heroes will become villains, and villains heroes. You are creating a world full of real people, and they are complex. You may think you are the resident deity of your world, but you are not, despite it all, omniscient. Be prepared to sit back and think “now why the heck are you doing that?” as your characters begin acting in unexpected ways.

3. Writing is not a solitary activity

There’s nothing like sitting down and writing to attract attention.

“What are you doing?”

I’m writing.

“Ooh, I didn’t know you were writing a book! What’s it about?”

For those who don’t know that you are doing this, the act of seeing you fully engaged in the process is a curiosity, and one that attracts people. During the work week I write at lunch times. Unfortunately the only place I can go is a glass walled atrium overlooked by the main thoroughfare through our office. I became something of an object of attention that month. If you write on public transport, you will get people reading over your shoulder. This can be a distraction, or embarrassing, depending on how you deal with attention, who is looking, and what you are writing about! But you have to accept it. Not many of us have the luxury of solitude during NaNoWriMo.

If you have let on to people what you are doing, then they become interested in your progress. Family and friends will all want to know how you are getting on, whether you’ve had a good day or a bad day, and what happens next. And they will all want to read it when you finish, which is daunting if you don’t rate your own abilities, or if you are worried about revealing too much about yourself. But they care about you, and so care about what you care about.

And we writers ourselves are social creatures. You know that, you’ve come to this writing website to read the thoughts of a fellow writer. You leave comments on other people’s blogs. And over on the main NaNoWriMo site, there were thousands of discussions taking place on a variety of topics, from tips about writing to discussions of how our lives were going. Whether it is to seek inspiration, to swap ideas and tips, or just for a quick chat and some encouragement, contrary to the popular image we writers are social creatures - whether it is online or offline. My initial nerves about NaNoWriMo were dispelled after the pre-November welcome party held by my regional NaNo group.

Wherever and whenever you write, you never write alone.

4. It is important to write when the mood takes you. It is even more important to do so when it doesn’t

Writer’s block be darned, keep those fingers tapping on the keys, and keep that pen moving! It is the only way you can complete this challenge. And it doesn’t just apply to those taking part in NaNoWriMo. You will never be a writer if you don’t write. And you cannot afford to wait for inspiration to hit you. It just doesn’t work that way. This was my problem. To an extent, this is still my problem. This was why it has taken me ten years to write this story. I was waiting to be inspired before I wrote, rather than writing and letting the inspiration flow from me with the words. If you don’t write, you don’t develop existing ideas, you don’t come up with new ideas, and you don’t have a story.

I lost my bearings mid-way through NaNoWriMo and played catch up over the final two weeks. I allowed myself to not write some days, because I didn’t feel like it. That just meant the next day’s target was higher, and the next, until the achievable target had, cumulatively, become unachievable. Write when you feel like it. And if you don’t feel like it, write anyway. Because you’ll find that if you do, you will very soon find that you DO feel like writing, and you won’t stop. At the start of the final week I was about 15,000 words behind, and felt like giving up. But I wrote, and I wrote, and when I didn’t feel like writing I wrote some more, and the story flowed, and new ideas came, and I rediscovered what it was I loved about this story and about writing.

5. I am not as good a writer as I thought

My spelling and grammar are atrocious. My attention to detail is woeful. Within the space of two paragraphs I had created a plot hole so wide I still haven’t fixed it. I thought that wonderful sentences would just flow from me, because that’s what I expected writing to be. Well, it’s not. It is dirty. It is difficult. It is inelegant. And it is called a first draft. And now that I expect it to be like that, I am not put off by it. I am not as good a writer as I thought. And neither is anybody else.

6. I am a better writer than I thought

Technical flaws can be picked up in subsequent drafts. Spelling and grammar can be checked. Sentences and paragraphs that lack grace and deftness of touch can be edited. Plot holes can be reworked and closed. But you can ignore these things when you look at a piece of work, and you can see the potential. And I can see that now. Friends and family, and you guys, through your comments and support, have helped me to see that I’m not crazy. I am on to something. I do have a story to tell, and it’s not “silly” - it is worth telling because are people who want to read it. I didn’t think people would want to read what I write. Now I know differently. NaNoWriMo 2007 has brought that change about in me.

7. It is possible to do this challenge and still have a life

In November hosted a bonfire party, visited relatives, took part in the odd Fiction Friday and a few Creative Carnivals. I blogged, I saw an old friend for drinks, and kept in touch with far flung friends. I even made some new ones. I kept up with my job, worked on overtime, went to the cinema, and even did some Christmas shopping. Barring personal disaster, "I don’t have time" is no longer a valid excuse. Not for me.

8. If and when we do get published, there are a lot of people to thank

Spouses. Girlfriends. Boyfriends. Siblings. Parents. Children. Friends and colleagues. Starbucks barristas. Bosses. Whoever made this journey possible for you, then make sure you remember them in your acknowledgments. And if you don’t get published, take the time to thank them in person. Remember, there are no little people.

***ADDENDUM***

I have started reading On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. Had I read it BEFORE November, I would have learned these lessons well in advance, rather than through trial and error. But there is a difference between being told something in a book, and finding out for yourself. And I think I am a better writer for having gone through this, discovered these things, and only later received affirmation from someone who has made it, affirmation that these lessons are the right ones, and necessary ones.