Monday, October 24, 2016

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!

31 comments:

  1. All right, I'm convinced! ...To do it next year if at all possible, that is. XD Seriously though, it sounds like a whack load of fun, and I hope you enjoy this seventh adventure of yours!!!

    (That was a lovely Peter Parker gif, btw.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bwahahaha! My evil plan to convert the whole world into NaNo'ers is working. >:D

      "A whack load of fun." That is the most accurate description of NaNo I've ever heard. It's definitely whacky AND fun. XD

      I do so hope you get to do it next year! It would just be the best thing doing NaNo with you!!!

      (*grins* Thanks! I may have had too much fun finding gifs for this post...)

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. YES YOU NEED TO DO NANO SOMEDAY TRACEY IT WILL BE AMAAAAZING!!! *didn't realize how much I wanted this until I saw you say you might next time*

      (Wait, is that who the second gif is? o.o *has never seen Spiderman*)

      Delete
    4. YESH. WE MUST HAVE OUR TRACEY IN THE NANO BOAT WITH US. ALL THE FUN!!!

      :O You've never seen any of the Spiderman movies? YOU NEED TO. I mean, they're maybe not as good as what Marvel produces now... But they are pretty fun. Except they keep rebooting those movies, so we have like...3 different Spidermen now. XD This one is the second one.

      Delete
    5. (Yep, I've only seen like pretty much all the Marvel stuff (except Hulk... and the shows, like Agent Carter and Agenst of SHIELD) and a few recenter Batman movies, but that's it on my superhero intake thus far. XD I know I'm missing some Spidermen and Supermen and stuff. :P And 3 Spidermen isn't confusing at aaaall. XD (Part of the reason I haven't done that or Star Trek yet is WHERE DO YOU START WHEN EVERYTHING'S REBOOTING ALL THE TIME? O_O /random rant)

      Delete
    6. Well, Batman and Superman are DC instead of Marvel. So you're good there! (Though those movies are pretty good as well, but I much prefer Marvel stuff myself. #geek XD) I haven't watched Agent Carter either. I really want to sometime though!

      I UNDERSTAND. I feel that way about a lot of shows, and even some book series. There are just so MANY and all these spin-offs and reboots and just...WHERE TO START??? It's sooo confusing. *collapses*

      Delete
    7. 'YOU GUYS. I would loooove to do Nano with you someday! If I was just working this year (and not going to school), even if it was full time, I think I'd jump in. Hopefully next year!! Although...I'll probably be in school AGAIN. But we'll see! *hopes really hard*

      Spider-man is one of my faves! The Amazing Spider-man, that is. (Which is the one in the gif Christine used.) The first actor was meh, and I haven't seen the newest one yet.

      Delete
    8. Oh, girl, I understand! I think it's a brave and wise decision on your part to not partake this year. You should enjoy your first year of school right now. Not worry about meeting a wordcount. NaNo will always be there when you're ready! ^_^

      Delete
  2. I'm severely tempted now. You had my interest right off the bat as you mentioned 'coffee time all the time'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *griiiins* I knew that would draw people in. (But seriously, I drink so much caffeine during NaNo...)

      Delete
  3. Ok, I'm still deciding whether to participate or not. I did Nano about two years ago and I went crazy... like literally. School and Nano together is not a good combination, especially for me because I don't work well under stress. :D But all these blog posts about Nano and your enthusiam makes me want to do it. Aargh I'm panicking. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eek, yeah. I actually chose not to do NaNo while I was still doing school because I figured it'd kill me. So I understand! There are just some seasons in life NaNo can't be done, and that's okay!

      DON'T PANIC. Just do what you WANT. If you WANT to do NaNo, go for it! But if you think it'll be too much stress on you, be kind to yourself. There's always CampNaNo during summer break! ;D

      Delete
  4. A HUGE YES TO EVERYTHING ON THIS LIST. Oh wow, I'm so excited for NaNo, eek. o.o

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I AM GLAD YOU AGREE. Yay for excitement! :D I'm excited toooo. It is gonna be such an amazing NaNo.

      Delete
  5. THIS POST!!!! Christine, you are the funniest little bean I have ever met!

    You actually convinced me awhile ago when we had that long comments-chat about it. FOR BETTER OR WORSE...

    That Snoopy gif...! Hahaha!!!! I be laughing hysterically right now. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *BEAMS* Oh my goodness. YOU. <333

      That makes me so ridiculously happy that I convinced you to do it. YOU JUST HAVE NO IDEA. I love bringing people along for the crazy ride! (Just hopefully you won't chase me down with a pitchfork in the midst of if...)

      Lolzy! Let's not talk about how long I spent on pinterest looking (and laughing like a mad person) at gifs for this post... *cough, cough*

      Delete
  6. This year is my second Nano and I am SO looking forward to it! It will be my first year juggling a full time job and novelling :O so not sure how that will all go. I can't wait for an excuse to just write again, it's been too long :) Oh, and I added you as a buddy! (I'm The Elf 8 in case you were wondering) Loved this post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EEP. That's so exciting! And wow, you're doing it with a full time job??? Serious respect! That is awesome!

      I know what you mean. I spent most of the year editing, so I haven't just WRITTEN anything new since last NaNo really. I cannot wait!

      Oh yay!!! :D I added you back. We're gonna have so much fun this NaNo! ^_^

      Delete
  7. *dies laughing*

    This was the BEST, Christine - if I wasn't already signed up for NaNo, I would be scrambling to do so right about now XD. And why would a writer NOT want to do NaNo? You get to party with all the other insane writer people! *nods*

    #3 HAHA, that's so good XD. And #4! And #9! I will go through November as an insane writer who desperately needs some sleep, and come out as a superhero. NOTHING COULD GO WRONG *nods*.

    ~ Savannah
    scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehe. I'm so very happy you liked it!

      Exactly? It's basically the Christmas season for writers. You get to hang out with people like you, make awesome stories, stay up at late hours, and just have a rollicking good time!

      You come out a superhero, Savannah! You conquer those words! *fistpump*

      Delete
  8. "DRINK THAT CAFFEINE. WRITE THEM WORDS. SAVE THE WORLD." <-- I may have to put that quote above my desk during November. :)

    As for #5, I've gotten two people to join me this year! My mom is giving NaNo another go and my sister-in-law is participating for the first time. (I'm still trying to get my sister to...)

    And #6: Why the need to wash dishes at all when you can just use disposable ones? ;) Or survive on a surely-healthy diet of leftover Halloween candy and Thanksgiving food. Right? (That came out as "Thanksfiving good" the first time I typed it, so NaNo brain has already begun. Oh boy.)


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH MY GOODNESS. Just the fact that you want to quote me makes me giggle into incoherent happiness.

      :D :D :D THAT IS AWESOME. Your mom is doing it? HOW FUN!!! AND your sister-in-law. I love how you have family members doing it with you. I keep trying to convince my family to give it a try but they won't bite. XD My sister does write though, and wants to one year, she's just busy with school right now.

      Disposable dishes! :O THAT IS BRILLIANT. And yes! Candy and turkey is allll you need during November. Perfect. (Hahaha! Ah, you gotta love the NaNo Typos. They're the best. XD)

      Delete
  9. Oh my goodness, THIS POST. XDDD I grinned and giggled so hard. :D

    I actually don't drink coffee, but this is still funny about the 30-day coffee break. XD

    *cowers from the no sleep* (I mean, I agree sleep is a pain because WE COULD TOTALLY USE 8 MORE HOURS IN OUR DAY but at the same time I neeeed it, so. :P)

    I so wish I could use #3!!! No social events, plz. ...Which means it's awkward I suddenly schedule like 7 events because write-ins and being an ML. Ohhhh well. XD

    “Can’t, noveling! Sorryyyy.” I love this SO MUCH.

    As mutually weird. Yus.

    YES MAKE EVERYONE JOIN US. ...Although sadly I don't think I have anyone I know in real life doing NaNo with me this year. :( *sadness* Except for write-in people. But so many crazy-wonderful internet people, so hey! :)

    AND IGNORE AAAALL THE LIFE THINGS. Chores/real-life = NOT IMPORTANT WHEN THERE IS NOVELING TO DO.

    Our fingers will totally be strong. (More like exhausted and dead, but yes. XD)

    Eheh, #9 is creepily accurate. XD

    AND THE LAST ONE THE BEST!

    Goodness, I loved your stellar gif-usage, too!! So much perfect. Han Solo and the Doctors (I NEED TO SEE THAT EPISODE) and Captain Jack and Kermit the Frog and PARKER and Ten and Snoopy and just aldkjdf let me hug all these perfect reaction gifs. <3

    But yes, in all seriousness, it's SO much fun (despite the stress) and just alkdlsjdk NANO!!! So rewarding and fun. :D Speaking of fun, thanks for this fun post! It's making me more excited for NaNo already! ^_^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And now I'm grinning and giggling so hard reading your comment!!!

      Okay, technically I've only been a coffee drinker for a couple of years now, but hot chocolate and sweets and things can still count as a "coffee break". ;D

      NOOO. SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK. WE DON'T NEED ANY SLEE-- ZZZZZzzzzz.... *blinks awake* Erm, what was I saying again?

      Oh dear. I didn't think about all MLing and such that MAKES social events. Hmm... But those are at least NaNo related, and not just other silly NON-NaNo things. I mean, people do things OTHER than NaNo stuff in November?? Absurdity!

      I've honestly never succeeded in converting anyone I know in person into doing NaNo. Close, but not quite. IT'S SAD. One day I will. ONE DAY. But I have seemed to convince people online, so that's a success at least!

      EXACTLY. Nothing but noveling in November! Chores can just be patient.

      I won't tell you how long it took to find a perfect gif for each point. *cough, cough* I also won't tell you how much fun I had scrolling through hilarious gifs to find each perfect one. *COUGH* Labor of love. ;D BUT I'M SO HAPPY YOU LIKED THEM. Your whole COMMENT just makes me so happy!

      D'awww! I'm glad it's making you even more excited. This NaNo is gonna be epiiiic!

      Delete
  10. Hahahahahahahahahahaha! I love your reasons. *nods* Yes, yes, I do.

    I wish I could do Nano this year, but I do not think my (albeit extremely supportive) family would appreciate the irritable monster I would have to become in order to keep up with the word count and "win" the challenge. They also would not enjoy not eating. Misfortunately.

    However, one of these days, probably many years from now when my children are all grown and able to fend for themselves... then perhaps I will be able to truly participate in Nanowrimo. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *GRINS* I am very glad to hear it. XD

      Girl, you have a FAMILY to take care of. Some seasons in life just do not allow for NaNo, and that is okay! I already sooo admire you for all you manage to do while still caring for your family. You're basically like an author role model. But yes, there will always be other NaNos. One day you'll get to!

      Delete
  11. This was very convincing! I think I will do Nano unofficially, because realistically I can't. I am going to try on my own time though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehe. My plan to convert the whole world into NaNo participants is working. *cackles*

      That sounds like a very solid, reasonable plan! I totally understand that some years just do not allow for NaNo, and that is perfectly fine. An unofficial NaNo is a brilliant idea!

      Delete
  12. OH MY WORD THIS POST IS EVERYTHING. I CAN'T EVEN. <3333

    Okay, I'll come back with a *real* comment later, but gahhhhh, I love this post!

    Do you mind if I do a post similar to this? I was wanting to do a post called "thoughts everyone has before doing NaNo," which isn't the same thing, but it's along the same lines. Just thought I would check in with you before I did something like that. ^_^

    ANYWAY. I WILL COME BACK AND COMMENT AGAIN LATER ON ALLLL THE THINGS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehehe. Thank you!!!

      OF COURSE. This isn't exactly the most original idea after all, I'm sure there are tons of posts out there like this. And I loooove all these funny NaNo posts. YOURS SOUNDS SO FUN. Do iiiit! I can't wait to read it! :D

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...