Why I'm Cutting the Cord With NaNoWriMo

There's been a couple of things recently that I've had to come to terms with in my writing interests. There's been a growing discomfort for me using National Novel Writing Month as a challenge to keep myself writing, and this recent controversy over the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the creative process is basically making my decision final (via Meghan Herbst at Wired):

National Novel Writing Month has long been known for its quirky, homegrown approach to creativity: Write a novel during the month of November! Just jot down 50,000 words while you’re knocking out holiday shopping and basting a turkey! But last Friday, the 25-year-old nonprofit, known as NaNoWriMo for short, shocked many in the writing community when it published a controversial statement detailing its position on AI. In it, NaNoWriMo asserted that the “categorical condemnation” of artificial intelligence has “classist and ableist undertones.”

The statement went viral on social media over the weekend, drawing fire from longtime participants and well-known authors, some of whom credit the completion of their first novels to the organization. Four members of NaNoWriMo’s writers board, including science fiction/fantasy writer Daniel José Older and fantasy writer Cass Morris, have now publicly stepped down from their roles in response. One of the organization’s sponsors, Ellipsus, which advertises itself as a “principled alternative to Google Docs” and is staunchly opposed to the use of generative AI in its products, has officially withdrawn its sponsorship.

In an email to NaNo’s board, Older, the New York Times best-selling author of the fantasy series Outlaw City and story architect of the multimedia series Star Wars: The High Republic, called its position on AI “vile, craven, and unconscionable.”

“Your heinous re-configuring of language used to fight actual injustices into a shield to cover your transparently business-based posturing is unforgivable,” Older added. (As of this writing, NaNoWriMo has not responded to a list of questions from WIRED about the statement and fallout...)

The thing about AI tools is that by just setting up certain keywords and parameters, an "author" can get the computer algorithms to pull together all the words and format of sentences and paragraphs to create any written text you want within minutes. The problem is that the AI really doesn't generate on its own: It cuts and pastes from anything it can find on the Internet ranging from copyright-free materials to stuff that is copyright-protected (and quickly crosses the line into theft).

We're not only talking about the high risk of plagiarism, we're talking about the reality that the "author" is not partaking of the creative process at all: in short, cheating. We're not even getting into the reality that the AI draft is going to be a narrative mess.

For the NaNo leadership to be that dismissive of the creative process brings up the question how much respect they have for the craft of writing at all. It is not "ableist" or "classist" to question the possibility that your NaNo participants are cutting and pasting every Ray Bradbury story into a 50,000 word travesty. (side note: still need to tell you all my Bradbury story)

When I was working on my various NaNo projects over the decades - since 2006 I believe - I played by the Scout's Honor rule of doing my own writing, going either by an outline or by the seat of my pants. If I was taking on an existing work, I made myself focus on counting the new words for the counting instead of backsliding into the existing stuff of the earlier draft.

With this AI stuff, I would be uploading existing work - not my own, either - into a word stew without regard to the actual characters, dialog, scenery, or narrative choices I would have in my own head.

I wouldn't be writing my own stories. THAT'S the problem here.

The issues I've been having with NaNo recently is something that's been building up for me over the last few years: The dread that instead of writing as a challenge I've turned NaNo into a chore. Every novel project I've had remain sitting in dust unfinished, because once the NaNo calendar was done - November - I just couldn't focus on continuing it. And when I revisited those works, I realized I was pushing myself to finish in such a way that I didn't respect the existing draft to keep it going (or even diving back in to salvage what I had).

So this AI business, along with the earlier scandal that the NaNo leadership tried to force their regional liaisons to sign NDAs after a nasty scandal involving a moderator and teens - is giving me the best possible reason to end my relationship to NaNoWriMo.

In the beginning, it was a good thing for me. Kept me writing in some way or another even as I juggled short story works that I got published elsewhere. But along the way, the challenge became an institution, devoted more towards appeasing corporate sponsors and less about the writing craft. As to my own inability to finish what I started, none of this is helping my mental state as I look at restarting some of my writing projects for my own benefit.

Good luck to all my fellow writers out there, and find your own ways to get motivated.

Hiring a copy editor who is in possession of a shotgun and an egg timer wouldn't hurt (especially you, George RR Martin! FINISH WINDS OF WINTER YOU LAZY SONOFAB----).

NaNoWriMo 2023 Success

Success in that I got to 50,000 words or more towards a nonfiction book!

It's still going to take a lot of work to turn it into an actual printed work.

KEEP WRITING.

Going Back to My Old School in 2023

I am in the midst of my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) project. This year, instead of writing a work of fiction, I've decided to work on a nonfiction project focusing on the political ideologies - the Isms - that define the American worldview.

In order to do it, I need decent research, and the best place for nonfiction research is an academic library.

So, I took a vacation day from work to drive up to Gainesville FL and visit the University of Florida libraries - arguably atop the public university system in the state - to find what I could for references for my writing.

This was also a homecoming of sorts for me. Since this is where I went to college to study for my journalism degree from 1988 to 1992. And it was a special homecoming because the library was where I spent most of my college life.

When did they add palm trees to the Plaza of the Americas???

During my journalism classwork I worked part-time, getting employment at the library itself in their cataloging department handling the book spine labels getting printed and applied. I enjoyed working the library more than working towards that degree (it didn't help that my grades were middling, I had to take Basic Reporting twice which was not a good sign). So it shouldn't be too surprising I ended up a librarian instead of a reporter.

While I've spent most of my career as a public librarian - working at the county/city level - my dream had been to work as an academic librarian in a university system, where the research demands were more intense and challenging. And the library I wanted to work at was at UF.

And in 2003 - twenty years ago - I got my wish. I was hired on to work at Library West - the main business / humanities / political science / general academia branch - as their Evening (tech support) Librarian.

And... it didn't last. Part of it was because the building itself went into a massive expansion / renovation to improve the floor space, which sent the West staff to work in a wing of Library East where almost none of the students visited - other than to check out DVDs - and it quickly jaded my experience. Another part was that I just didn't fit in, and I ran into a personal conflict or two with fellow staffers that led the HR department to hint that I should go find work elsewhere. By the time Library West reopened, I was looking for employment back closer to my parents and friends in the Tampa area, and I left in 2006.

I'd been back up to Gainesville from time to time: Whenever brother Phil (a fellow alum) went up to see football games with his sons, I would tag along to some of them; I had visited pre-pandemic to a SwampCon and walked the campus from Reitz Union to the library and back; and had driven by on recent swing-bys when I went to Tallahassee to advocate with the Florida Library Association's lobbying every year for funds.

But this would be the first time to visit the library and campus during a school day, and it was going to be - unavoidable - a nostalgic trip back to when I was in my early 20s, and a reminder of half the regrets I carry with me.

This video was in the early Tuesday morning, which is not often the busiest class day - class cycles were Mondays-Wednesdays-maybe Fridays, or Tuesdays-Thursdays - and relatively early enough that not every student was heading to class ("Never before 11!"). This was in the Turlington Hall plaza, between the main campus buildings for Turlington (where most of the humanities/social sciences were taught) and Marston (where some sciences - especially computer tech). The Century Tower is across the street. This plaza at midday is one of the centers of student life, where odds favor you bumping into half of your friends between sessions (the Plaza of the Americas in front of the main library is next, and then Reitz Union).

You had two main methods of getting across campus back in my day: By foot or by bike. Maybe skateboarding if you were cool enough. This visit I spotted a reasonably high number of scooters, apparently the technology - and collapsible steering rods - has improved.

The library itself hadn't changed much since the 2005 renovations, although they've moved equipment rooms around, and instead of copier machines they now use scanner trays which can email PDF copies to you (no more cash or student debit cards!).

Never try to walk and use a smartphone camera while turning a corner...

The welcome desk for the staff floor. You'll still get students asking "where can I study?" while standing in front of that sign.

When they renovated, it was to install the closing - accordion-style - shelves
to expand shelving in a limited space. Even then, UF libraries has so many books
they had to split branches by subject - Arts, Music, Education, Science, Journalism - just to give the main library room for history/literature/humanities/business/social sciences.
Even with this, UF has to maintain an off-campus storage for all the other books they need to keep.

Ahh, there I am.

I had published my short story collection in 2005, and donated copies
to the library for inclusion. The natural lifespan of a book by an unknown author
in a public library could be 5-10 years. An academic library by its nature
has to hold onto books as long as possible for research needs. In 20 years, depending on the circulation, this will likely go to Off-Campus Storage... say, 2025... /sigh 

I ventured back over to Library East, which is the Special Collections building.

Used to be the Cataloging department I worked in was on the third floor. That's been taken over by the Latin American collection that used to be on fourth (it was pretty cramped up there when I left in 2006). There was an elevator for East I had to use getting work as a student labeler, but it was sooooo slow I would take that stairwell (of which I took that photo). When I was 20, I could run those stairs to third floor without a problem. At 53, old and fat, there is no fucking way
I can run those stairs again.

I wore a Nirvana shirt to signal my Gen Xness in case the graying beard and aged eyes didn't give me away.

There is a spot between Librarys West and East where a fellow could sit, either before the library opened for work, or during the day on a snack break, and it was at this spot I would rest.
If it was early enough in the morning, some of the squirrels would be brave enough to approach me and beg for the candy M&Ms I would eat. I did share, but I worry now that I gave those squirrels diabetes.

The walkway between the business classrooms that take up the original (northeast) corner of the university, going through the Plaza en route to Turlington. This was in the mid-afternoon between the final round of the day's classes. I didn't want to take pictures of it being too busy because I wanted to avoid close-ups of people who wouldn't want to get photographed by a stranger.
You might notice there's one older brick path in-between two newer paths. There were SO MANY people biking and walking this path between the major parts of campus that the grassy areas along that original path wore down into dirt. The campus HAD to expand the brick pathway to accommodate
that traffic. The benches are super-new, though (I noticed memorial nameplates on several, so it's apparently a new fund-raising gimmick for alumni).

The Plaza of the Americas is the "official" spot to hold protests and political gatherings, and they seem to have an ongoing protest by the local Jewish student groups about the kidnapped hostages in the current Hamas-Israel Gaza War. It was quiet for now, no counter-protests by the sizable Middle-Eastern / Muslim student groups that are also on-campus.
My previous experience as a student - and library staffer - was that the on-campus Jewish and Muslim groups behaved themselves (because they shared a common enemy with the frats). I dunno how they're both handling the nightmare of war in Gaza right now...

On my way back from Library West to the Visitor Garage at Reitz, back through Turlington, one last look at the infamous rock statue locally known as "The Potato" (no lie, the Pokemon Go gym spot labels itself that).
I know it looks lumpy like a potato, but c'mon people, do you notice that large bump on that one side of the rock formation? I swear that's a thumb, and the statue is really a lumpy glove. IT'S A GLOVE, PEOPLE. Why am I the only one who sees it...?

Going back to where I had been 30 - even 20 - years ago brought back a lot of quiet memories, and a lot of the regret I know I carry with me. Above all, the regret that I did myself poorly not being more social and active while a college student. I didn't do much other than be with a science fiction club that struggled to reach more students, I did nothing to find a dating life among the young women that populated half the campus, I made few friends from that time and haven't kept up much with the ones I did.

A lot of physical changes had happened to the UF Campus - and to the businesses and eateries across the street, ye Gods the Pita Pit was gone??? - but there was still a lot that reminded me of how it was when I was a young man with his whole life still ahead of him. It's just... I wish that young man enjoyed his time in that moment a lot more...

Prepping for NaNoWriMo 2023

Once again into the deep dive of National Novel Writing Month!

This year, instead of stressing over a fiction novel idea that I quickly look narrative control over, I'm going to focus on a non-fiction work: Going with my background in journalism and my political interests, I've decided on writing about about American socio-political ideologies.

I've even got a title: American Isms.

I've done some preliminary research on the primary Isms - Liberalism and Conservatism, naturally - but also looking to include the less-common Isms - I'm finding there's no moderate/centrist Ism on record so I've got more research to fill that gap, arguing to give Pragmatism some due - to give it more depth.

We shall see how it goes.

In the meantime, if you're in the Lakeland / Polk County FL area needing a NaNo group to join for Write-Ins and inspiration, and if you've got a Facebook account, check here for the Facebook updates! Otherwise, sign up FREE with NaNo at their official site (link above) and join the US>FLorida>Lakeland Region for updates there!

Good luck, fellow writers!

Artwork for the Author, and Looking Ahead

Looking to spice up my authorship website(s) with some artwork, I commissioned an artist a friend recommended to me. Stephanie Folse worked with the suggestions I had - me going through a mystic library seeking that Book With the Blue Cover - and she came up with this.

It looks fantastic.

If you need someone for fantasy / science fiction book covers, I highly recommend Folse to you! She's at https://www.stephaniefolse.com/ 

Also, I need to let people know that National Novel Writing Month is barely two more months away! I hope my fellow Lakeland area writers are gearing up for their novel projects!

NaNoWriMo 2022 Status

I reached 50,000 words! On the "rebellious space princess" novel idea!

And now... I NEED TO FINISH THE DAMN THING FOR ONCE.

Keep yelling at me to finish. I need the motivation of having an editor with a shotgun and an egg timer pushing me onward.

NaNo 2022 Update Week One

Getting to the first week of NaNoWriMo wrapped up and I am over 10,000 words today!

I just need to find out where this photo came from and I've got my book cover already.

Time to NaNoWriMo 2022

Where's your word count already, fellow writers!

I've actually got a decent turnout of writers at Bartow Library tonight, which bodes well for the Lakeland group presenting a strong front this year.

In the meantime I gotta start this Sci-Fi fantasy series of a falling stellar empire and a rebellious princess who turns herself into a jaguar lady. GET TO WORK, people!

NaNo Time, Kiddos, for 2022

It's less than a month away: Another round of National Novel Writing Month. 

I've been doing this regularly since (checks notes) 2006, off and on with some success reaching the 50,000 word counts certain years.

The problem, which bothers me but not to the point of obsession, is that I don't finish up.

I've had - past tense, because the flash drive I've been saving to is lost now - a stack of unfinished first drafts piling up that I found myself unable to finish either because 1) I hated the direction the novels were going even when I had plotted them first, or 2) lost track of how I wanted those works to end. When I found myself with about five of those unfinished drafts, I couldn't decide on which one to stay focused on.

This year, with something of a clean slate ahead of me, I will be making the effort to plot out a reasonably short work, nothing too elaborate, and find the motivation to stick to the landing on this stunt.

Wish me luck.

Again.

NaNoWriMo 2021 Results

 Well, I reach 50,000 words last night!

With it comes... a firm and hearty handshake!

What's at stake now: FINISHING THE WHOLE THING AND EDITING IT INTO A RESPECTABLE NOVEL FOR SELF-PUBLISHING!!!

/hits self

This is the part I keep messing up. Once the time constraints of NaNo are done with, I lose track, I lose focus, I LOSE what I was doing.

Keep kicking me, readers. Remind me to FINISH THE DAMN THING!

I'll see ya in December.

NaNoWriMo 2021 May GOD Have Mercy On My Soul

 I'm doing it. I swear to GOD I'm gonna finish a novel for once. I SWEAR TO THE ALMIGHTY KOALA OF STAR TREK THAT...

Writing Update for September 2021

For a submission update, the flash fiction I submitted for "Dose of Dread" did not make the cut, alas.

With October around the corner, I need to start planning for November's NaNoWriMo. 

I am still working on revising my self-published works for an updated anthology down the road.

I need to focus.

Camp NaNo July 2021

One more summer of Camp NaNoWriMo to see if I can keep to my personal goal of finishing an honest-to-God novel.

No more self-doubt. No more delays, no more distractions. Who cares if I succumbed to nostalgia and got an Atari VCS this month? I will not play with it until I get the damn novel done.

I have the basics of it, I've got the beginning and the middle and the end. I need to fill the gaps, give my main characters better motivation, describe some of the fight scenes a little better and GET ER DONE.

I will update here when I can on my status.

Good luck, writers!

NaNoWriMo 2020: The Reckoning

Keeping it simple: Yes, I reached 50,000 words this time.

It's a second third fifth attempt at finishing a novel set in my superhero Talents 'verse, and here's hoping that this one finally has the kinks banged out of it so I can edit it into a coherent work.

There's roughly half a novel done in this, but it'll need so much more plugged in to make it sensible. I shouldn't crow too much, still working it, still writing it...

I will update on this - with more consistency and focus - so that I know I will get this one done...

Io Saturnalia to ye now!

It's NaNoWriMo Time 2020 Edition

 Once again, America, November is the time to cram 50,000 words into one day's work!

I kid, National Novel Writing Month spreads it out over 30 days. That makes it 1667 words per day, more manageable ya?

I'm going to finish working up on a superhero novel that I've been TRYING Gods help me to get done over the past ten years, and this year I'm feeling it because I am no longer distracted by other story ideas in me head. This is it, kids, I got this.

If you're a writer in Polk County, there's a Lakeland Region you can join and share in various Virtual Write-In gatherings! Look for USA::Florida::Lakeland and sign up with us.

See the rest of you on November 30th when I've got 50,000 and a semi-coherent novel of doom!

NaNoWriMo 2019 Follow-Up: Now Requiring a Follow-THROUGH

Getting to 50,000 words is the easy part:

Finishing up the next 3-4 chapters to have an honest-to-God novel is the harder part (getting it edited and PUBLISHED is the hardest...)

I shall keep on writing, krewe! This alien invasion story should be good to the last prod! Uh, drop.

The Thing That Motivates Me During NaNo Writing

It's a very simple reason I keep writing.

The characters I'm writing will present an interesting tidbit about themselves I didn't realize until halfway through the story I'm writing.

Granted, sometimes the secret they reveal stops me, because I can't keep writing them into a plot if they no longer fit it. But sometimes like what my two main characters I'm writing in my alien invasion plot just told me, it gives me a reason to add a chapter to flesh out that new development.

I might actually get this one done, unlike the four other novels languishing in the first draft stage.

NaNo 2019 Writing Day Eight

I've gotten to a critical juncture in the alien invasion storyline where I get to blow up Clearwater Beach!

...

Relax, it's only the roundabout that gets blowed up.

KEEP WRITING, PEEPS!

NaNo Me Baby One More Time! 2019 Edition

Annnnnd... I'M OFF!

(types furiously)

Remember to use the Space Bar. THE SPACE BAR! AAAIIIIIEEEEEEeeeee... (crashes into the Oxford Comma)

In One More Day, I Begin NaNoWriMo 2019!

Sharing this link with you as I get ready to commit to National Novel Writing Month for 2019!

https://blog.nanowrimo.org/post/188067825552/its-october-which-means-that-national-novel

There's images and banners stuff you can download to your own social media pages.

Like this one

Good luck with your projects, fellow writers!