When I went to my first NaNoWriMo Write-In, an old hand at NaNoWriMo, on hearing that I blog pretty much every day said I would be in good shape for NaNoWriMo. One of the biggest problems is simply getting into the habit of writing something every day. It reminded me of what so many people have said about the discipline of writing. Between blogs and emails, I do write everyday. This month, I’ve written at least one blog entry every day. I’ve written at least one section for my novel everyday. A few days, they were short of the 1,667 word goal, but most days they have been well ahead of the goal.

Over on her blog, purplecar writes that the Nanowrimo theory is not working for her. She says she is very serious about writing a novel and doesn’t want to waste her time writing crap. Will NaNoWriMo be a good use of her time?

Well, I too hope that someday, I will write the next Great American Novel. It would be wonderful, in so many ways, if my current effort turns out to be that, but I’m dubious. I guess I come back to the old advice, hope for the best (Great American Novel), prepare for the worst (an incomplete pile of drek that I delete from my harddrive), and be satisfied with whatever comes.

So, where does the NaNoWriMo theory fit in? Well, I guess there are a couple different thoughts on this. Writing is both a discipline and a love. It is sort of like marriage, and I remember an old philosophy professor once quipping, “It isn’t love that keeps marriage together, it is marriage that keeps love together.” It is the discipline to return to the object of your love when they or it has disappointed you, or when you have been the disappointment.

So, I keep returning to my novel, on the days that I cannot type fast enough, as well as the days when I’ve already brushed my teeth six times. When I do show sections to friends, I point out that it is a very rough draft of a first write through and mostly ask for further ideas about my characters and the plot.

Will it work? The past couple of days were slower, more challenging, but I cranked through. Other days were wonderful and the words wouldn’t stop. As I write this post, I have 22,918 words to go to reach the goal. I still worry about running out of storyline, but I’ve got some great ideas coming.

So, hang in there my fellow NaNoWriMo writers. The discipline is worth it.