Ink-Stained Wretches Speak from the NaNoWriMo Trenches

USA! USA! USA! We’re wrapping up Week Two of NaNoWriMo with a strong showing from the U.S. teams. As predicted last week, Seattle took the lead on the Total Wordcount Scoreboard from Germany, although it happened much sooner than expected; by midnight last Thursday, the Hydrophobic Ducks had punted Germany to second place.

Current total wordcount standings are:
1. Seattle, USA:  21,247,145 words
2. Germany, Europe:  17,864,774 words
3. Los Angeles, USA:  17,645,372 words
4. London, England:  16,205,584 words
5. New York City, USA:  15,971,745 words

In average word count per writer, Germany still spanks the top five Total Wordcount leaders with 12,898 words each; Seattle squeaks into second of the group with 10,845; and London is third, at 10,122 words per person. L.A. and The Big Apple limp behind with less 9,000 words per WriMo. However, in some sort of crazy twist of language or verboseness, Sri Lanka is the official leader of average word count on the Scoreboard, currently racking up an incredible 142,399 words per WriMo, while Lithuania ranks second with a mere 22,342 words each.

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The only location in the U.S. to even hit the “average” top five on the Scoreboard is Russellville, Arkansas, at number four with 18,992 words per participant. Fifteen people in Arkansas are taking our Ducks to the cleaners, based on average production per writer. Ouch! Fortunately, the Ducks are able to redeem our city’s honor by leading in donations. If we can’t win with words, we’ll buy ‘em off!

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As usual, the end of Week One saw some fluctuation in the number of people participating in NaNoWriMo, but the trend was up for most teams, with more people coming off the bench as the event continues. A significant number of NNWM participants are high school students; due to academic schedules (exams and similar things that I have only a vague memory of), a lot of these kids started days later than their adult counterparts.

Josh, a Junior at an Atlanta high school, had to focus on Calculus in the weeks prior to NaNoWriMo, in addition to teaching Hebrew at a local synagogue. This is his first year participating, and he thinks it’s important “because it shows the [attainability] of writing a novel…. You just need a word processor or a pen, and an idea. I’m doing NNWM, partially, to prove to myself that I can.” Josh has been creating stories, he says, “since before I could write.”

In contrast, Jeaneen from Seattle took advantage of the recession to throw herself into NaNoWriMo full-time, because, like millions of her fellow Americans, she is currently unemployed. Laid off from her position as a Project Coordinator, Jeaneen saw NNWM as an opportunity: “Once I lost my job I decided, ‘That’s it. No more half-way. I’m going to write. Period.’” She says, “Every day that I write is a good day…. Writing can often be a lonely experience. Knowing that about 200,000 other people all over the world have exactly the same goal I have and are doing the same things to achieve that goal is really comforting. And that also helps me focus.”

Ultimately, for most participants, National Novel Writing Month is not actually about writing a novel, much less publication. It’s about setting a goal and achieving it. It’s about a community of people with the same passion, who would normally never even know about each other, becoming a 24/7 international support system. It’s the sort of community that sports fans and other extroverts take for granted, but one that American culture rarely provides or supports for the arts.

It’s curious and sad: while professional athletes and fans of pro sports also generously support amateur sports, this doesn’t always happen within the American arts community. If anything, professional artists–including professional writers–can often be harsher to amateurs, as if there is something personally and morally offensive about writing, painting, or playing the piano for fun, pleasure, and personal gratification.

So, yes, NaNoWriMo is Turkey Football for ink-stained wretches. Anyone can play, and everyone is welcome. Or, as Jeaneen stated, “If writing is not your thing, I encourage you to ask yourself what is, and then challenge yourself to dedicate a month to creating that…. I think that’s some good medicine for our world.”