I’ve been a big supporter of NaNoWriMo since I first participated in 2009 (yes, TEN years ago), but about midway through November, I came to a realization: the no holds barred, write as fast as you can and worry about edits later mentality that makes NaNo what it is no longer works for me.

I took part in the noveling madness in some way, shape, or form eight of those ten years, and I learned a few things about myself in the process:

• I can write 1000 words in 45-60 minutes if I know where the story is going (hello outline)
• I cannot write much longer than an hour at a time. There have been exceptions, but I usually get antsy after an hour (this was true before even before I had a smart watch telling me to stand every hour)
• I write clean first drafts and don’t have the patience to write thousands of words just to add to my total word count because in the back of my mind that little voice is telling me to back up and sort out what’s not working in the scene I’m writing, rather than pushing forward

That last one is the key to this post. The first few years I did NaNo, I didn’t know what kind of writer I was. I’m not talking about the types of stories I like to tell, but how my brain functions and what motivates me. And what doesn’t motivate me.

When I first started writing novels, I hung out on a writing forum where people talked about writing for hours each day and having daily word counts in the thousands. That sounded daunting, but if they could do it, maybe I could too. In reality, I would have a successful first hour of writing (where I reached my 1000 daily word goal) but because I wanted MORE, I would sit at my computer for several more hours and end my writing session feeling frustrated instead of accomplished. Once I realized that I needed to step away from the computer when the antsiness kicked in, I became much happier with my output.

A huge mantra of NaNo—and writing in general—is to let yourself “write crap.” To silence your inner editor and just write. Because more times than not, when you go back and read what you thought was terrible, it turns out it’s actually pretty good. Or has good bones. So while I still remind myself not to get too hung up on the first draft being perfect (because it will not be, no matter how much I try), I stop myself if I find my story going off track. I’d rather fix the story while I’m in the thick of it than have to go back and rewrite two-thirds of a novel.

I love the camaraderie of NaNo, but I’ve got a wonderful network of writing friends who I can lean on pretty much any time of day. I love high word-count days as much as the next writer, but not at the expense of my story. And I absolutely love writing and I want to keep it that way.

I will always be a supporter of the program because I think anything that gets people to write—especially those who have never tackled anything as daunting as a novel—is a good thing. But next year I’ll be cheering from the sidelines.

What about you? Are you a fan of NaNo, or do you have your own method to keep you going?