Write What You NaNo: You Have My Permission

Welcome to the Write What You NaNo BlogParty! For the next two weeks, guest bloggers will stop by to share their thoughts and experiences with National Novel Writing Month. More information and the schedule of bloggers can be found here.

You Have My Permission

I first heard of National Novel Writing Month in December of 2008, naturally a month too late. I kept the information tucked away in my head and started to think about my book. In late summer of 2009 I was so eager to start my new hobby calling as author that I went to an overnight retreat center nestled in the depths of the Minnesota woods where I plotted to my heart's content. I couldn't wait for Nov 1.

I remember the first time I sat down to write my book. I had returned from Ireland the night before and instead of going to work on Nov 1, I took one more vacation day. This time, I would do NaNo. I brewed a pot of coffee, donned my bathrobe and fuzzy socks, and proceeded to type.

It was garbage.

My MC was supposed to be this independent girl whose adoptive mother had just died. But instead of being relatable, she was just angry. And depressed. Pages upon pages of her sorting the mail, cleaning the counters, drinking her coffee, and not caring about life. I quickly noticed I was using this as an outlet to deal with the emotions from my aunt's death a few years earlier. But then I saw that I tossed every possible emotion into those first thousand words (which have thankfully been scrubbed for something better) and it was the best place to start.

This is why I love NaNoWriMo. It grants me permission to be a terrible writer. It's like when your song comes on the radio and you sing along. No, you're probably not very good (it's okay to admit it, you're among friends), you might not know all the words, and you certainly haven't mastered the high notes, but it doesn't matter. You gave yourself permission to sing because you knew it would make you feel better. You can figure the exact words out later.

Permission was key for me. Permission to dream about fantasy lands, to try chick lit, to try YA or MG, to pretend I was JK Rowling. Or Meg Cabot. Or Janet Evanovich. Or, dare I say it, even Tolkein.

NaNo gives me permission to try something new. My 2009 novel was a YA fantasy and my 2010 novel was a MG adventure book with too many elements of magic/fantasy. My 2011 novel is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel that is completely out of my comfort zone. And while plotting for this novel, my brain hatched an idea for a holiday story revolving around a Christmas village, a young brother and sister, some magic, and possibly zombies. I'm not sure which story I should write come Nov 1, but either way, what a beautiful problem to have.

Here's the truth: the first draft isn't going to be good. So what are you afraid of? Get out there and write the crappiest first draft (with all compliments to Anne Lamott and her "Shitty First Draft" chapter) you can.

I give myself permission every November to write even though it's not very good and has gaping plot holes. It's the satisfaction I get from completing my story each year that brings me back for more. And it all began with granting myself permission to dream.

So go on. Give yourself permission. Or ask me. I'll give you permission to write an equally horrible first draft and we can swap notes when December rolls around because I promise you, reading my stuff will make you feel much better about your own...

Happy NaNoing!