Why I Keep Participating in NaNoWriMo

Greenville NaNoWriMo Write-In, 2009

Except for last November, I have participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) every year since moving to South Carolina in 2006.

Not just participated! I have won every year I have participated.  That means in November of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, I wrote at least 50,000 words.

As a frequent participant in NaNoWriMo, I thought I'd offer my perspective on this popular event.  It might surprise you to learn that I have zero aspirations of being a published novelist.  None.  So why do I do it?

1. Achievement. Blame my status as a first-born child, blame my "Achiever" Enneagram Type, or call me crazy, but I am completely fueled by accomplishment.  Setting goals, meeting those goals, competing, all of these things really drive me.

Some people with this personality type train for marathons.  Maybe some day I'll have the physical ability to do such things, but for now, my brain really enjoys the workout.  I started thinking about this analogy though, and I find it compelling.  I know many people who train to run 5Ks, or half-marathons, or even one crazy co-worker who did a triathlon.  These people, I believe, because of the work they have done and the great things they have achieved, deserve the title of athlete/runner.  How many 13.1 stickers have you seen lately?  Would these same people be able to compete with professional athletes?  In most cases, heck no.  Are they still athletes?  Well, yes.  I'm not really caught up in calling myself a writer - in fact, I don't* - but I can understand why someone who has "won" NaNoWriMo might.

Adrenaline isn't just for extreme sports.  Any time you challenge yourself to do something you normally wouldn't, it can have a great impact on your life.  You have no idea what you can accomplish until you try.  NaNoWriMo is a great test case, with only a 30 day commitment!

2. Community. The first year I participated in NaNoWriMo, I was only active in the online forums and other virtual settings.  The second year, I decided to venture out to some local events.  I found people like me, who love to read, who love to write, and aren't afraid to participate in a crazy, somewhat obsessive and all-consuming event such as this.  I've made good friends because of write-ins.  Some of us even formed a longer running writing group for a while, which was fantastic.

Some of this feeds into my competitive nature too.  I'm just more likely to churn out the word count if I'm given 20 minutes and there is a prize at the end.  We can encourage one another and challenge each other.  Our fearless readers often have ideas for us throughout the month, like emergency plot cards, words you have to try to incorporate, and online word wars.  All of it helps.

3. Appreciation.  Most people know that I am an avid reader.  There is nothing like struggling with writing a cohesive story to make you appreciate a master of the craft.  I have realized how difficult it is to truly be creative, to tie everything together, and to remain "readable."  Because I understand how far I am from greatness, much less readability, I can more specifically articulate what I appreciate in a published work.  I pay more attention to what authors say about their own works as well.  How do they come up with an idea?  What do they do with the idea once they get it?  How do they decide what belongs and what to leave out?  How much time do they spend editing?

My skills aren't there.  I don't devote the time or energy to getting them there.  Even if I did, I'm not sure I have the capacity for originality that I would need.  That's okay though, because for 30 days a year, I can pour myself into the attempt.

If you are contemplating becoming involved in NaNoWriMo, it isn't too late.  A lot of us don't do any planning the first time around, and just jump in and see what happens.  I'd encourage you to try it, or to start planning to do it next year if you want to outline your plot and come up with character profiles.  Find a copy of No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days, which is useful before NaNoWriMo starts and a beneficial companion throughout the month.  Join your local group and reap the benefits of writing in community.  Set goals you can achieve, and reward yourself.

*I should say that some people who do plan on getting published also benefit greatly from participating in NaNoWriMo.  I'll allow them to speak for themselves; that just isn't my focus or experience.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (audiobook)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I fear I am heartless.

Some people I respect as readers give this book five stars and I just can't.

Basically, it is about a man taking a walk. Beginning, middle, end. He gets bad news about an old friend and just starts walking, wearing the wrong kind of shoes and without telling bringing his 'mobile.'

Most of the book is about regret and finding his way back to what matters. So, I get that, but it didn't poke through my tough exterior, I guess. You have my permission to call me heartless.

I listened to the audio, which may be partly to blame for the plodding pace to the book. Still, Jim Broadbent was a great reader. I shall have to try to find him reading something else!

This book was on the longlist for the Booker, but didn't make the shortlist. One book that did is also about a walk, but has far more complexity and emotional range. I'd recommend it entirely. (The Lighthouse)

I'm noticing that lately, books about humdrummity are really getting to me. I need some profundity and depth, or lacking that, some interesting characters with interesting lives.

Some of Harold's observations:

"Life was very different when you walked through it."

"Life is made up of people putting one foot in front of the other."

"Nobody's frightening, if you stop and listen."

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't get a chance to read this before it won the Orange Prize for 2012, but this year was a remarkable year for fiction written by women in the countries that qualify for that particular list. I would have been happy to see it go to Esi Edugyan or Anne Enright based on reading their nominated novels, and I haven't had chance to read the Harding or Patchett yet. I don't disagree with the decision to award it to this novel, and even better, this is Madeline Miller's first!

In The Iliad, the character of Achilles is devastated by the death of his comrade/friend Patroclus, and Miller explores the history of that emotional response in this novel. She explores the idea of a romantic relationship quite believably, starting with a boyhood friendship after Patronclus is banished from his home.

Hearing it described as so rooted in Greek mythology, you may be turned off from reading this. I know I was. The last time I read The Iliad was in high school, and I worried I would be lost. On the contrary, this was very readable, and I zoomed through it in an afternoon. The author is clearly knowledgeable about the classics, but also manages to make everyone in the story relatable and interesting. I felt myself feeling along with Patronclus as Achilles starts down his path of heroism.

I found a few reviews in GoodReads that come from people more knowledgeable about the original subject matter than me, and I think reading them will bring you understanding the way they did. Thank you Judith and Richard!

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

The Twelve by Justin Cronin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't going to read this book. I wasn't! I felt like The Passage was a well-contained story and I didn't understand where else it could go. I will let the author explain what he focuses on in The Twelve, because I find it too difficult to summarize. (This is from an older post from 2010 on io9.com.)

The next two books each go back to Year Zero at the outset, to reset the story, and to deal with something you didn't see and didn't know was as important as it was. It's not a linear quest story, which I would find dull and plodding. With each book, you need to have the narrative terms reestablished with fresh elements. Also, if you didn't see [a character] die, they're not necessarily dead. There's a big cast in the first book, and plenty of unresolved stuff. I will resolve it by the end. [Early vampire character] Anthony Carter? No, not abandoning him.

In [The Twelve], you go back to what happened in Denver after the outbreak took place. The story will resume in that location a few days after breakout. So you can see another angle on what occurred and certain elements will affect our band of heroes 100 years in the future. It will be called The Twelve - and it's not who you think.

This means that the story starts with where Amy is, and follows up with an assortment of other characters. Just like in The Passage, storylines are dropped completely as others are followed. Since I was listening to the audio, it was a bit more difficult to keep track of, just because it was harder to flip back and get a refresher on names, etc.

The author provides a lot more information about what happened to various people at the very beginning, explaining how some of the communities were formed, the horrific actions of the USA government (including events like "The Field"), and other parts of the novel jump around up to 97 years from when the virus originally took hold. This kind of information is usually my favorite part of post-apocalyptic stories - the rebuilding. What kind of societies form? How do they work? Who has control? I think Justin Cronin shows a lot of creativity and variety in these situations, since it isn't just one story, but multiple. Many of the characters, locations, and situations overlap throughout the story, and I had this sense of the author as a puppeteer, drawing strings of stories around each other. Kudos to him that they never seem to tangle in disaster.

Scott Brick is the narrator for the audiobook of The Twelve, and does a fantastic job. He doesn't bother doing a lot of voices, but his inflection is perfect. He has this ability to get out of the way of the story that I really appreciate when I'm listening. It just comes to life and I'm not constantly thinking of HIM, but of the story.

And The Twelve requires a lot of thinking and paying attention. The multiple story lines, the jumping around in time and history, and the sprinkling of quotations that Cronin throws in kept my attention. He started with a Mark Strand poem, almost as if I needed something to clinch whether or not I'd read this book.

I won't have that dilemma for the final book. While this story has a satisfying climax, I was left with far more questions this time around. I'm not sure I know which side everyone is on. I'm not sure I even know what sides there are, anymore.

I can say that this book is hard to put down, even in audio I found myself making up reasons to listen.  Luckily I had a long trip to Alabama and back that helped me knock out most of it.  I'd recommend reading The Passage first, if you haven't.

A slightly longer review is posted over on SFF Audio, but it really just adds a publisher summary. You can find the author in Twitter.  I thought it was funny that he lives in Houston, considering that there are several comments in the novel about how unlivable the city is.  Ha!

Thoughts on the Man Booker Prize 2012

I did it!  For the first year ever, I have read all of the books on the Booker shortlist before the winner was announced.  This is due in large part to an amazing interlibrary loan department where I work.  They even tracked down a copy of Umbrella by Will Self, which doesn't come out in this country until January 2013.  I believe I actually time traveled to read this book.  I had an ARC of one title (the Mantel) from the Orange January/July hostess, bought an eBook of The Lighthouse, and my library had Narcopolis.

First, I'd like to list the novels by what I thought was the best, then second best.  After that I'm going to ruminate on reasons why the judges might choose each novel, and what in each novel might make them turn away.

My personal list of preference:

1. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (read my review)
2. Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil (read my review)
3. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore (read my review)
4. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (read my review)
5. Umbrella by Will Self (read my review)
6. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy (read my review)

Pros and cons for each, and what I think the judges might think:

The Garden of Evening Mists
Pro: Beautifully written, interesting period of history, good story
Con: I've heard it is like a female version of a story he was already nominated for.  I think a lack of freshness could sully the votes.

Narcopolis
Pro: Former British Empire (always seems to get them), storytelling technique
Con: Too edgy (I loved the edgy.  Sometimes I want to put this above the Eng.)

The Lighthouse
Pro: Good pacing, good story, heartbreakingly lonely characters.
Con: Pretty short, maybe too simple, and something short and powerful and lonely won last year.

Bring Up the Bodies
Pro: Well told, good pacing
Con: She already won for a book that is the first in the trilogy that this follows in.  This may be a better book but lacks the freshness again.

Umbrella
Pro: Postpostpostpostmodernism and for everything it attempts to do and be.
Con: Practically unreadable.

Swimming Home
Pro: Reads like a play, some great quotes
Con: Somewhat forgettable, not really a standout.

The winner is announced tomorrow, where we will see if the judges think anything close to how I think.  What did YOU think? :)

Umbrella by Will Self

Umbrella by Will Self
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I slogged through this in order to say I had read all of the Booker shortlist before the award was announced, for once. Let's make one thing clear - without that compelling reason, I would not have kept with it.

There is a difference between difficult writing and good writing. I personally thinks Will Self careens toward difficult without giving a thought to the reader. Oh, I'm not just complaining because this is hard to read. I get many of the references and imitations, I just didn't think they were necessary to do all at once. As Self himself said on page 86, "simply wishing the madness away won't make anyone regain their sanity."

First of all, you have the obvious comparison to Ulysses by James Joyce. In fact, just in case you dared to miss the comparison, he starts with a quotation from Ulysses - "A brother is as easily forgotten as an umbrella." This quotation comes back to haunt the reader towards the end of the story, but I won't ruin that particularly moment for the two other readers who will make it that far.

Ulysses has something very important that Umbrella does not - variety. It morphs between storytelling styles and points of view, with a rise and fall that keeps the reader interested. Umbrella goes FULL SPEED AHEAD with no chapters, no paragraphs (maybe a few indented starts), no dialogue signs, no breaks. Characters have dialogue and internal thoughts in the same breath, and italicized words aren't one or the other but are frequent throughout the book. There are three time periods covered by the novel but you never know where you are. Is an event being remembered or narrated? Are we moving linearly or going back and forth? Who are all these people? Ha.

Also, if this is Ulysses, this is if Ulysses took place in a mental institution in a Cockney accent. Oh yes. Before I forget, a good portion of the spoken words in this novel are Cockney slang. Good luck.

Suddenly, I got to page 138. And a character said "We're'erebecausewe're'ere." All in one word, no spaces, and repeatedly, and I thought, "Where have I heard that before?" I thought it was either Lem or Huxley, and guessed right by rereading my review of Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, where one of my favorite bits was people chanting or singing "We're HERE because we're HERE because we're HERE because we're HERE!" Woah. Okay. So a reference to Lem, interesting. So it must be okay that I don't know where I am and nothing makes sense.

I do think it would have been nicer to hide in a bathtub than to force myself to finish.

I took to a deep skim of the rest. If you try to pick out the important bits, you uncover a story that isn't that different from Awakenings, where a psychiatrist treats a patient with Postencephalitic parkinsonism. Audrey Death, the patient, appears throughout the novel in her youth, in her mental hospital self, and everything in between. As far as I can tell the characters DO things but don't feel anything. It is impossible to connect with anyone when you're being bombarded with the songs they have in their head.

I sound impatient. I feel impatient. I read some lovely books this year that were nominated for the Booker. I'm worried the judges will select this one because they don't understand it, because it intimidates them, and therefore it must be good. I hold that this technique itself is not a bad idea, but would be far more interesting in smaller doses.


Up next: I'm going to write a summary post about my Booker reading, and pick my own winner!

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a truly incredible book, and is my pick to win the Man Booker Prize this year, and I say that even before reading the last of the six.  Luckily, thanks to the amazing miracle-worker that is our interlibrary loan department where I work, I will travel into the future and read the Will Self book before October 16th, even though it doesn't come out in this country until January.  Stay tuned for a post about all the nominees and how I'd rank them!

Publisher summary: After studying law at Cambridge and time spent helping to prosecute Japanese war criminals, Yun Ling Teoh, herself the scarred lone survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp, seeks solace among the jungle-fringed plantations of Northern Malaya where she grew up as a child. There she discovers Yugiri, the only Japanese garden in Malaya, and its owner and creator, the enigmatic Aritomo, exiled former gardener of the Emperor of Japan. Despite her hatred of the Japanese, Yun Ling seeks to engage Aritomo to create a garden in Kuala Lumpur, in memory of her sister who died in the camp.

The story is told in a dual way with some side trips. Part of the story comes from the time shortly after Yun Ling is no longer a POW, and part of the story comes from the time after she has retired from being a judge and comes back to the garden. She has aphasia and is trying to capture as much of her life as she can before she loses her memory. The author does something really interesting with the storytelling in that she will have a conversation in her present-day life in one chapter where a phrase or person will be mentioned, but as the reader you don't discover the details about the person or phrase until she goes back to tell the story. It isn't done in an obvious way, but in the natural way that stories unfold, where a passing mention of something can recall a memory you didn't even know you have access to anymore.

I learned a lot about Malaya/Malaysia from British and Dutch occupation to World War II to the "Malayan Emergency." The philosophy behind Japanese gardening and the Tao Te Ching both weave their way throughout the novel, and the author seems to embrace the aesthetics of both in his writing as well. While Yun Ling is being taught to slow down, breathe, focus; I felt I was being asked to do that as a reader.

I can't pick out specific examples because this is a novel that should be experienced as a whole.

Since I included music with the Thayil book, I feel compelled to share what I listened to as I read the last 200 pages of this novel tonight.  Emily, the wife of Magnus, the tea estate owner, listens to the same work every night in order to sleep  - the Larghetto from the second Chopin piano concerto, as recorded by Yggdrasil (Quartet).  While I can't find a YouTube video of that particular version/group (they do exist), here is Arthur Rubinstein playing with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Previn, in 1975. While Chopin isn't the first music I think of when I'm picturing Communists hiding in the jungle, torture camps, and tea plantations, it plays a significant role in the story.