NaNoWriMo--No, No, No!

So, I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this month. For anyone who doesn’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Those who participate have to write 50,000 words in November. There is a signup process and rules and all kinds of official things, including a badge you can put on your website when you complete it successfully.

I love the idea of it and it’s great for discipline, especially for someone like me who has this ingrained fear of missing a deadline. If I know I have to write a certain number of words a day, come hell or high water, I will write those words. I’m working on three manuscripts right now (in various stages of completion), so I could probably even do it.

But the thing is, I can’t take on one more thing. Not one. I have a high school junior who is beyond stressed and is dealing with school, swim team, and college prep. I have a high school freshman who is beyond stressed and is dealing with band and adjusting to high school. I have various writing projects that I am in the middle of that need polishing and crafting and much more than the equivalent of verbal diarrhea, which is, in essence, the most successful strategy for making that 50,000-word-goal (I’m not knocking anyone who is doing it—50,000 words is 50,000 words). And I have volunteer work and appointments and meetings and carpools and a family who would like to have dinner more than once a week (the nerve).

Not to mention, it’s NOVEMBER! The month of “No School in NJ.” Admittedly, now that we’re all in high school and don’t have to deal with conferences, which cause two weeks of half days, they are in school a little more. But between Teacher’s Convention and Thanksgiving, they are still off a lot of days. There’s holiday shopping and cooking.

And I seriously can’t deal.

So I’m still writing every day. I’m working on my manuscript for my agent, editing and writing one that is 2/3 of the way done, and writing one that is 1/3 done. Will I hit the approximately 1,600 words a day needed? Possibly. But I don’t need the added stress that I’ll put on myself to hit 50,000.

However, to all of you who ARE participating in NaNoWriMo? Good luck!