It’s gives you permission to write   –   Allow yourself a reason to sit at the computer and just write without distraction. Let the dirty dishes build up, forget to put away the washing or do the ironing. You have a word count to meet!

It’s enriching   –   To see the word count build shows you that you can write something longer than a short story. You do have a novel in you, even if it takes some heavy editing to find it in the end.

There’s no pressure to write perfectly   –   No one will ever see it. You can let the ideas flow from your fingertips without censorship. Let the story take its course and see where the characters lead you in their misspelt, ungrammatical way.

A way for the ideas to find release   –   It’s a great way of getting the ideas in your head down onto paper. The story will grow from just an idea into something more tangible. The more you write, the more real the characters will become. Before long, they will take over and start writing their own story.

There’s no time for Writer’s Block   –   If you want to beat that word count, you can’t allow a silly block to get in the way. Write around the block. Write a different scene, there’s no need for order. Let the characters have a mundane conversation and see if they get bored and lead you in a new direction. Just don’t stop writing.

I love the freedom NaNoWriMo has given me after two years of intensive editing and rewriting. Now that I’ve finally produced a novel for publication with all the time consuming  formatting that’s involved, I have an excuse to stop worrying for a while and start enjoying writing again.