Rebel Is Thy Name, And I Wear It Proudly
We’re several days into National Novel Writing Month, and there have been many surprises. The latest is that I switched from being a traditional NaNoWriMo writer when I discovered my inner rebel.
A rebel is someone who doesn’t adhere to the rules of NaNoWriMo. It’s someone who chooses to write 50,000 words comprised of blog posts instead of a novel. It’s someone who is continuing a story they had previously worked on instead of beginning a new one. Or, if you are like me, it’s someone who is working on a new novel but plans to incorporate research and revisions. Letting go of your inner editor is a known principle espoused each November while you do NaNoWriMo. But I’m not only breaking their rules — I’m breaking my own.
I’ve talked about my difficulties as a novel writer trying to find what writing flow works best for me. I’ve been a pantser, a brief outliner, and now I’m a fledgling detailed planner. I’ve proven I can write 50,000 words of a novel in a month regardless of the approach I take. I’ve proven that twice. So I don’t need to prove I can “win” NaNoWriMo again.
Becoming a rebel wasn’t a decision I made easily, however. I slept on it, and I approached my local writing group with a long list of reasons of why I thought about breaking tradition. It was like revealing a dark secret. Was it okay to have these thoughts of rebellion? Admittedly, I was taking it way too seriously. Thankfully, instead of judgment, I received positive words of encouragement, including from someone who mentioned that some of her best work came when she broke a few rules both in and out of NaNoWriMo.
That reminded me that writing is very personal. It reminded me of my original goal to improve my writing process and to improve the quality of my first drafts. The process is dependent upon the writer, and, in the end, there’s no right or wrong way to approach novel writing.
A writer’s story, once polished to the best it can be (unless you spend a lifetime perfecting it and never publishing it), is put out on display to await judgment in the form of reviews that anyone with Internet access can read. So the last thing a writer needs is to be self-critical and rigid. After gathering courage and reminding myself that rebelling was what I needed to accomplish my goal, I made it a public declaration. If I achieve my goal by breaking the rules (including my own), then so be it. The journey is never linear.
I’m still writing scenes for my novel. I probably won’t finish 50,000 words of a story. But my goal is not to vomit 50,000 words of a story. It’s to have a solid first draft.
I already managed to create an outline that’s given me the foundation I needed to build the rest of the story. That outline is my support — my backbone — as I shift gears even more. Thus far, I’m happy with what I’m learning about myself as a writer. I still don’t expect it to be easy, but that is what’s fun about writing — seeing where it takes you.
