The Zen of NaNoWriMo

I came across an article today regarding NaNoWriMo and why it’s a great thing for writers (excerpts below). The author makes an excellent observation as to what really keeps someone from writing – NOT writing:

“If I were asked to guess the number one obstacle that stands in the way of a person finishing a novel, I wouldn’t choose writer’s block, a busy schedule or running out of ideas. I wouldn’t choose lack of a laptop or quiet writing space. I think that the main obstacle to a completed novel is simply the act of not writing.”

To me, this sounds like a Zen paradox or koan and what better solution to this Zen paradox than National Novel Writing Month:

“Sure, the above list of reasons will get pulled from, but in most cases they’re just used as excuses to not write. If a determined person wants to, and really tries, I believe that he or she, under almost any circumstance, can write a full novel, simply by sitting down and writing it.

This way of thinking is put to the test every November, during National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo was started by Chris Baty in 1999, with less than two dozen writers, and has taken off like a rocket since.

For the twenty-one participants in 1999, as well as the eighty-thousand in 2006, the goal is simple. Starting November first, write a fifty-thousand word novel in one month.”

To read the entire article (which I highly recommend), please go to NaNoWriMo: The Value of National Novel Writing Month by Kevin Bridges, found via Yahoo News.