As many of you know, I love to do Nano (www.nanowrimo.org) every year. I’ve been doing it every year since the turn of the millennium. That said, in the last two years, there’s been a distinct, and not so friendly, change out there in the world of Nano. I’ve seen a lot of bullying and intimidation in the forums (so much so, that I no longer participate in them) as well as through FB. This year, I found that I, along with all 20 of our writing groupies, have been “blacklisted as known spammers”, why? It appears that we all have the same ISP…well, of course we do, we all use the public library system computers to access the internet. So, needless to say, though I did get into the site via the use of a friends computer, I was unable to address the problem with the Nano people in a private way and had to throw a fit through an unrelated FB message to get to them.
Truthfully, and in all honesty, it’s not worth the hassle. Did I really seriously enjoy both the challenge and the sharing with other authors… YES! Did I enjoy setting a higher goal that would last me longer than a week…YES! Am I seriously annoyed that I had to use a fake name, fake email (which I had to create this week just to participate.)… YES! For a site that promotes that you use your real name, real *, etc. Needless to say, if it’s got me this stressed, even before I pick up a pen or hit a key, then, it’s just not worth it.
A group of us, all Nano REJECTS, have decided to form our own group where we set our individual goals, genres, and styles. We decided to run from October 15 – November 15 so we can all be done before the holiday. It will be nice not to have to hide away trying to meet a writing goal while the family is enjoying the day. All 20 of our writing group has joined, as well as about 50 others who like the date spread, and the freedom of choosing a genre and style. That makes over 70 former Nano veterans and newbies who have jumped ship. The kickoff party was great last night (tons of pizza and pop consumed). Saturday, we’re all meeting at a friend’s farm to write together and have a barbeque complete with a haunted hayride, and followed by going haunted housing!
We’ve even invited a group of artistic individuals to join our group. They are going to do a comparable challenge with their artwork. It’s going to be fun!
Nano might not want us, but it won’t keep us from writing, or enjoying the process!
To all you Nanites who may stumble upon this, I wish you all the luck in the world for reaching your goals and enjoying the month!