NaNoWriMo: Don’t Write That Novel

November is National Novel Writing Month. This is the month that a lot of people put aside their confidence issues and do the thing that everyone thinks they can or perhaps even should do: write a novel. Salon’s Laura Miller has advice for those who might attempt the novel-writing journal: don’t. From Salon:

NaNoWriMo was started back in 1999 as a motivational stunt for a small group of writer friends. It’s since become a nonprofit organization with staff, sponsors, a fundraising gala and, last year, nearly 120,000 contestants. Participants agree to start and complete a novel of 50,000 words or more during the month of November. To “win,” all you have do is meet that goal, however wretched the result. Last year's NaNoWriMo had 21,683 such winners.

Anyone who has ever read Miller knows that, as a stylist, she can swim with the best of them. For proof, you need go no further than this line:

I am not the first person to point out that “writing a lot of crap” doesn’t sound like a particularly fruitful way to spend an entire month, even if it is November.

Miller’s piece is quite lengthy and it’s here.