Fuck Nanowrimo - Tumblr Posts
I'm probably really late to the party, but it's only just occurred to me that NaNoWriMo trying to defend the use of AI in writing because 'anti-AI stances are ableist' is just.
honestly.
the most ironic thing ever.
NaNoWriMo is and has always been ableist, just as a baseline concept. as a disabled person I have never been able to participate in NaNoWriMo and I will never be able to participate in NaNoWriMo.
my multiple disabilities and chronic illnesses prevent me from writing a novel in a month. it is just literally not physically possible for me. the one time I really tried, complete with multiple disability aids and a plan for pacing myself through the month and six weeks of prepping my physical health before November 1st, do you know what happened?
I had a chronic illness crash on November 3rd. literally three days into my plan to pace myself through NaNoWriMo. I didn't recover until roughly Christmas or New Years. I've never bothered to try again because of how badly I crashed. but it did teach me that I should never try to stick to schedules and deadlines made with able-bodied people in mind. a harsh lesson but one I needed to learn.
and asking ChatGPT to write my novel idea for me would not solve that problem. it would not result in a novel that I had written. it would not result in prose that sounds like me, that communicates the emotion behind the novel idea in a way that allows someone else to slip into my (chronically ill) shoes. it might be enough words to technically qualify as a novel, but it would not be my novel.
and to imply otherwise is to erase the lived experience of actual disabled people, while trying to cover up the inherent ableism of your 'write a whole-ass fucking novel in a single fucking month' event by calling people who value the art of writing ableist for opposing AI.
*taps mic*
Fuck NaNoWriMo
It's always been a shit way to write a book. Slamming through fifty thousand words in a month leads to burnout and a garbage draft you'll spend more time unfucking than if you'd actually just paced yourself.
I'm proposing Novel Outline November
Start with your idea on November 1st.
Write something for your novel every day. The only unacceptable amount is 0.
Attempt to complete the plot in 50K words. Stick with that as a limiting factor so you focus on what's most important to your story.
When it's done it's done! Everyone is a winner!
You will
Develop good writing habits
Challenge yourself to write long form
Create a base that can be expanded into commercial fiction (70-100K) or genre fiction (100-110K)
Happy writing!