NaNoWriMo vs. writing an ALM thesis

National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo or NaNoMo) just finished. For those of you not in the "know," this is an online-based writing marathon which encourages participants to write a novel of 50,000 words every November. Approximately 80,000 people participated this year, reports the New York Times.

What I found interesting were the reports of difficulties encountered by the writers:

Every year more than 80 percent of those who sign up for the project do not finish, often because the experience is just too painful. First there is the toll on the rest of the novelist’s life, with friends, family, co-workers and living spaces sure to be neglected.

And then there is the sheer torture of trying to write fiction continuously for several hours every day. Week 2 is the worst, [NaNoWriMo participant Chris] Baty said, because that is when the book can feel like “a truck parked on your face.” Forced to make hard decisions about plot and characters, many people give up: “They love their book so much they stop writing it,” Mr. Baty said.

This sentiment struck a chord with me, and I suspect for many others who have started ALM theses at the Harvard Extension School. Of course, we have a lot longer than a month to research and write a thesis, but are subjected to similar study/life pressures and doubts about the direction of the projects. For me, "week 2" came about a year ago, early in the research phase, when the research was going slowly and writing had yet to begin.

But, as someone who is now in the proverbial final stretch, I can confirm that progress will come if you stay focused on your research question(s) and force yourself to read, conduct research, and write at least several times per week.