Yep, the title is true. Call it throwing in the towel if you want, but I could care less. I thought about it this way — this “contest” is really a slap in the face to real writers who want to put out a quality book. Yes, NaNoWriMo can stoke the writing fires of John and Suzy Scribblepad, but as a published writer who’s serious about his craft, I just thing that good ideas and character development can’t be rushed. To quote the NaNoWriMo site: “Â…the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.”
That’s understandable, but I want quality. And if you’re lowering your expectations, then why in the hell call it a novel? It’s a race to hit 50,000 words by December 1. Whoop-de-doo. NaNoWriMo is a slap in the face of the beauty of the writing process. It’s like taking a fine seven-course meal from a five-star restaurant and stripping it to its barest essentials to sell at McDonald’s. Fast-food writing? No thanks.