To NaPlWriMo or Not to NaPlWriMo...

There's a few reasons to do National Playwriting Month 2009:

1. The comraderie. There's a great bunch of super supportive, wonderfully fun playwrights on this board. It's very much like we're a family, and it lasts long after NaPlWriMo is over. This support system will keep you going.
2. The play itself. At the end, you will have a new draft of a play (hopefully!).
3. The time you spend on the play during this month will be not only a dedication to your craft, but it will be a dedication to yourself. Giving yourself time and space to be an artist is very important, and often in our lives it's hard to do. Think of it as a pre-Christmas gift to yourself!
4. It's fun! Writing should be enjoyable, and there's nothing more fun than meeting a new set of people and seeing what their story will be.
5. It's a good learning experience. When you're writing under this kind of pressure, you learn more about what you're capable of.

And there's a few reasons to NOT do National Playwriting Month 2009:

1. You have too much on your plate. Last year, I ended up putting my education on the back-burner because of NaPlWriMo (among other things, mostly, but it was still one of the reasons I stopped working on my certificate). If your life really is going to be miserable because of NaPlWriMo, you could lose your job, your spouse, your house, your mind, then DON'T DO IT.
2. You can't deal with pressure. Really, it's not a lot of pressure. Basically you have to write 2.5 pages a day for 30 days to meet the 75 page requirement. But if you buckle under pressure and it makes you want to stick your head in the sand, DON'T DO IT.

I've been staring at this list for about 20 minutes, and I am honestly not coming up with a lot of reasons to NOT do NaPlWriMo. Every reason I can think of, besides the two above, involve not wanting to write a play, but a different form of literature, which seems pretty obvious. I know I'm biased, but I can't think of another reason to NOT do it. If you are wanting some time to develop yourself as a writer and want a good stretch of your mental muscles, this is for you. If not, there are other sites you can approach for this coming month.

But hopefully you will join us.