Ten (perfectly logical) Reasons To Do NaNoWriMo

You may have noticed by the explosion of tweets and blog posts and writers screaming from the rooftops (from fear or excitement, not even we know) that NANOWRIMO IS COMING.

I can hear you groaning, “Not more about NaNo. Are these people ever going to stop?” Now, now, before you run away in fear of catching the insanity, I have 10 perfectly logical reasons why YOU should join in on the craziness as well. Yes, you!

 

1.) COFFEE TIME ALL THE TIME

Feeling guilty about that 5th cup of coffee you’re chugging down? Well, during NaNo, THERE IS NO GUILT. Only coffee. Or, if you’re not a coffee person, hot chocolate or soda or ice cream or anything that has mammoth sized amounts of caffeine and/or sugar (both is obviously preferable). Gotta keep that energy up for novel writing after all. You have a perfectly valid excuse to consume sweet drinks and foods alllllll month.

NaNoWriMo is basically a 30 day long coffee break.

If someone judges you for your excess amount of coffee intake, just ask them if they are tearing down kingdoms or going on perilous quests or saving the the entire world or maybe entire UNIVERSES in just 30 days. DRINK THAT CAFFEINE. WRITE THEM WORDS. SAVE THE WORLD.

And if you’re having a sugar crash? Obvious fix. MORE COFFEE. Nothing can go wrong here!

 

2.) NO SLEEP

You know that inconvenient thing that comes every night? The one that takes up to 8 hours of your valuable time? That silly thing known as SLEEP? I mean, sheesh, what a drag sleep is. Just laying there, resting, dead to the world, getting refueled and good health? HA. No more of that uselessness. Sleep does not exist during NaNo. There is no sleep. Only words and mad plots and cackling to yourself at 3 in the morning over the most hilarious line you have ever written. And don’t worry over the fact that you’re spending all 30 days of November in the same pair of pajamas. PJs are not just there for sleeping, they’re versatile like that.

Who needs sleep when there are words to write? We’re WRITERS. Sleep has no power over us. Words are our fuel (and coffee). We’re fine. Peeeerfectly fiiiine!

3.) AWKWARD SOCIALING AVOIDANCE

Do you have an awkward social event you’re dreading? Or experience a mini-panic attack that moment the phone rings and you know you’re about to get asked to go do something you really, reeeally don’t want to do? But…you have no excuse. No reason to say no. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS???

NaNoWriMo to the rescue! What better excuse than claiming your great feat of writing an entire novel in only 30 days? Not only will you sound impressive, but you’ll have a valid excuse to not go do all the things you don’t want to! You basically get to avoid peopling all month long.

Just imagine:

*phone rings* “Hey! You want to go—”
“Can’t, noveling! Sorryyyy.”

4.) MEET MUTUALLY INSANE PEEPS

But hey, maybe you enjoy people and don’t like the idea of going into hermit-mode. NaNo’s got you covered there, too! The NaNoWriMo site and forums are packed with thousands or people just as mad as you are! Us crazies gotta stick together!

Seriously, the NaNo community is AMAZING. If you want to find fellow writers then stalk the forums, buddy people (like meeee!), or just announce on social media that you’re doing NaNo and suddenly you will be tackled happily by a hoard of NaNo’ers. (We are like overly enthusiastic puppies discovering more overly enthusiastic puppies.) There are also local groups in most cities if you want in-person buddies.

You can even find friends who will threaten you with frying pans if you don’t meet your wordcounts. Because writers know the value of true friendship.

There is always someone in the NaNo community who is as mutually weird as you.

5.) CREATE MORE INSANE PEOPLE

But you may be saying, “What about all my current friends???” BRING THEM ALONG. If you don’t want to abandon your friends and family, just forcefully drag them down the rabbit hole with you! What’s more fun than having everyone you know dive into the insanity together? Ask your best friend, all your siblings, your neighbor, your neighbor’s pet chinchilla, the mailman, random people you pass in the grocery store. SPREAD ALL THE NANO LOVE. Convert the whole world into crazy NaNo’ers! Sure, they may threaten you with pitchforks during the middle of NaNo, asking why oh why did you convince them to do this ridiculous thing??? But they will thank you in the end! Oooh yes.

 

Join ussss.

6.) NO RESPONSIBILITIES

Not only are you freed of the hassle of sleep and can have all the caffeine you want, you no longer have to worry about responsibilities! Laundry? Pssh. That can wait until December. Besides, you’re wearing your PJs for 30 days. You don’t need to do laundry! Dishes? BAH. Just have 30 or so coffee cups clean before the beginning of NaNo and you’ll be good for the month. And we’ve already covered that you’re excused from all social gatherings.

Chores cannot be bothered with when there are worlds to save. Your only responsibility is to write. And write. And write some more. Just basically throw away your life for your book! Everything will be fiiiine.

 

7.) FINGER WORKOUT TO THE MAX

You know how you’ll be writing like a mad fiend for 30 days? Well, just think of the finger strength you’ll gain! NaNo is like the international Olympics for fingers. Your fingers are going to be so buff by the end, and all ready to do important work. Like lift more books and hold a 6 pound pizza up to your mouth.

Work them fingers as if you only have 30 days to write a novel! (Oh yeah, you do…)

 

8.) REAL WORLD? WHAT REAL WORLD???

We all have to admit, the world is pretty tense right now, and life is always busy and stressful. Sometimes you just want to find a dragon and ride away into the sunset to another universe. Guess what? YOU CAN. NaNo is like a FREE month-long vacation from the universe.

Forget the real world. You have a book to write! With fictional characters who need their lives to be lived. Our characters’ lives are obviously more important than our own. Reality doesn’t even exist during NaNo. Only book. Book is all we need. Book is life.

 

9.) YOUR FAMILY WILL MISS YOU (AND REALIZE HOW AWESOME YOU ARE)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say. After 30 days, your family will start missing you, and then realize what a deep, dark hole your absence leaves in their hearts. They’ll think on how awesome you are. How much you fulfill their lives. I mean, really, how have they survived a whole month without you???

By the end of the 30 days, you’ll be like the epic hero who comes home after saving the world. Praised and adored and awed by all.

 

10.) YOU HAVE A BOOK

YOU WROTE A BOOK PEOPLE. Not many people in the world can say that. And definitely not many can say they wrote a book in 30 days. You will forever have that book and the knowledge of how epicly you wrote it. Your awesomeness has no end. Sure, the dishes in the sink have reached the ceiling and your family thinks you’re dead and you may be dying from over-exhaustion. But who cares?? You have a book!

Now doesn’t NaNoWriMo sound funnnn????

But in all seriousness here, writing a book is a huge accomplishment, and the most awarding feeling. NaNoWriMo is the perfect way to get that book you’ve always wanted to write but never thought you had the time for WRITTEN. The community really is amazing, and the experience like no other. I’ve never experienced anything like NaNo. This will be my 7th NaNo and it still feels magical and surreal.

Life is busy and there’s a lot of tension going around. NaNo is a wonderful way to step back for a while and explore other places, other lives, do something for yourself. To have FUN. Sure, it’s stressful sometimes and time-consuming and ridiculously insane, but it’s also one of the most amazing adventures you will ever have. I promise.

So have I convinced you to try NaNo yet??? Do you have any other reasons to add to my list?? Share them in the comments!