If I can, I would like to give some props to Patrice Sarath and the firestorm of controversy she started by criticizing NanoWriMO, or nananomori, or nananananananmo, or whatever. If I can summarize her point: "NanoWriMo ain’t that hot." This has caused a lot of people to write counter-comments to the effect: "Yes it is." Or alternately: "It is pretty much."
Personally I’m suspicious of anything that encourages ordinary people to create art (see my previous entry about mumblecore). Ordinary civilians should just sit around, working day-to-day jobs, and then using that money to purchase entertainment and art at inflated prices. I’m particularly suspicious of anything that encourages people to make art and employs structures and techniques that resemble in turn a self-help cult, a 12-step program, and a pyramid scheme.
My own contribution to NanoWriMO is to copy the word NanowriMO 50,000 times throughout the month of November.
