Christmas? No! Thanksgiving? Not even close! (Or, well, not quite.)
The most wonderful time of the year, in my totally-not-universal opinion, is November–National Novel Writing Month–and the lead-up to it. I did NaNoWriMo for the first time as a fresh-faced second-year at uni in 2010, and I’ve never looked back. I did skip the event in 2013, but I hated that so much I’ve resolved never to do it again unless the situation calls for it. There’s just something about gearing up to write 50,000 words of a novel in one month with millions of others that lights a fire under me. It doesn’t sound comfortable, and it isn’t, but it’s fun. And torture. In the words of Ron Weasley:
If you’ve never heard of NaNoWriMo before, you can read up on it here. I’m very evangelical about it, though of course it doesn’t work for everyone, and it draws some fair criticism. As far as I’m concerned, though, however you use the creative energy NaNoWriMo gives you is good, regardless of whether it’s according to guidelines. I personally never try to write a complete novel during nano because my novels are never 50,000 words; the shortest complete one I’ve written is 86,000 words, and I’m not even going to attempt that in one month.
To get back to the matter at hand—additional proof that this is the best time of the year—I have to admit that the American pumpkin obsession plays into my love of autumn as well. Anything that can pair sweetly with cinnamon and cloves, or be turned into a delicious soup made more delicious by the addition of soy sauce, is a star in my eyes. Yum. And the changing leaves & rain-lashed windows don’t make too bad a backdrop for staying in and writing either.
So: I’m feeling pretty good. And if you, like me, are gearing up for nano, might I suggest this hilariously written post on writing outlines? This year I’m determined to be less crap at planning, and I suggest any fellow bad-planners do the same. I’ll let you know how it goes!