So...nearly all the family and friends I've told about NaNo have been pretty supportive and understanding...but my dad just doesn't get what the point is. I've tried to explain to him why I want to do this, but he doesn't seem to get it. Does anyone else have someone who doesn't understand, that you really want to understand? How do you explain to them why NaNo's worthwhile?
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All writing begins life as a first draft, and first drafts are never any good. They're not supposed to be.
- Patricia T. O'Conner
39,544 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 11 19
G.B.,
well, the pithy side of me wants to say ~ since NaNo-ing is all about seizing what YOU want out of life (i.e., time to write), the proper way to inform someone is to illustrate by metaphor. Lock them in a room for a week without food and only a few dribbles of water each day. When you finally bring them a pizza or turkey leg or beer (or when the police come to arrest you), then you can turn and say, "See? This hunger you have -- this is how much I want to write!"
On the other hand, perhaps taking me seriously would get you in big trouble. Especially if your dad is bigger than you.
Honestly, there's no one in my life who doesn't understand, so maybe I'm not the best person to listen to. Most of my friends wonder why I don't write more often. But I think the best way to make someone understand is by showing them how much dedication you have to this task. They'll get it eventually. :)
Adam
42,004 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 06 40
Make others understand?
I usually relate it something they are interested in.
-Sports fans. If you got a chance to play with your favorite team would you take it.
-Cooking fans. Gordon Ramsey has asked you to join him in the kitchen to help prepare a meal for the President. Are you going?
This is the same thing. I've been called a bookworm by a lot of people. Here's my shot at joining the ranks of the authors I love to read.
monoverde
46,275 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 07 12
I don't. I don't even try. A long time ago, I realized that there were individuals in my life who were never going to understand why I wanted to do *fill in the blank here*. Not nearly soon enough, I actually accepted that fact and decided that I didn't care - I was going to do whatever it was anyway. And in doing so, I also eventually learned that I was strong enough to do all those things on my own, with or without their support. I figure it's their choice, and their loss not to try to understand. I can get the encouragement and support I need from other sources.
*end bitter cynicism*
NaNoWriMo is partly about pushing your own limits, and doing something that is rewarding and enjoyable for you. As long as someone is not preventing you from doing that (and in reality, you're the only person who can do that), it doesn't really matter whether they understand or not. Listen to ZenFajita - just maybe not to the part about locking someone in a room without food or water - and MonoVerde; there are some good ideas there. But in the end, don't worry about it, and don't let it stop you.
----------Adjectives on the typewriter
He moves his words like a prize fighter
The frenzied pace of the mind inside the cell
-Cake
42,233 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 09 25
Griselda Banks,
----------I don't try.
What's saddest for me right now is that there is someone I know who could benefit greatly by engaging in NaNoWriMo: the quick writing, the letting go of your inner editor and the support you get from people who DO understand. But this person does not want to even try right now.
So I'm letting go of trying to get him to do it..
I hope your dad does not prevent you from doing NaNo and that his objections or lack of understanding don't interfere with your writing!
Cheers!
Eri
Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.
37,708 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 07 19
I think it's lovely and more than a little courageous that you are that interested in getting someone else to understand. I've only told two people and both of them I can count on to NOT be awful if I don't win. I am posting my word count on Facebook, but so far none of my friends have commented, so I'm not sure it's registered. I said something vague to a friend yesterday about a consuming writing project and left it at that. I like that NaNo is just mine for now. If you need to make your dad understand due to changes in your availability to him, what matters most is that he knows it's important to you. It's not easy carving time out for this kind of project and my thought has been either that people get or they don't. If they don't then they can be upset with me for a little while--but I'm kind of gonzo when it comes to taking time for my own projects. My experience has been that people I care about usually manage better than I've imagined when I start "being selfish" and setting boundaries like this. Best of luck with this.