The Power of Shame

As you sift through NaNoWriMo advice, one theme keeps coming up that may not be intuitive.  It usually includes things like:

  1. Tell everyone you’re doing NaNoWriMo.  Family. Friends. Workmates.  Strangers.
  2. Mention it on your blog.  Use badges.  Put little word count widgets in the sidebar. Ask folks if they’re reading your story (if you’re putting the story in public).  Let folks know you’ll keep them up to date on how you’re doing.
  3. Buy the t-shirt. Wear the t-shirt.  Oh, and put the sticker on your car.  Consider a tattoo.
  4. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The ostensible reason for doing all of this is to garner support.  And that’s important, to be sure.  Having your loved ones rooting for you on the sidelines, and leaving nice comments on your blog, etc., is all good.

But there’s a bigger reason.

Shame. Guilt. Fear of looking like a fool / wuss / slacker.

It’s the same as dieting.  Or getting married. Putting yourself out there, in public, your rep on the line, your commitment made in public — it not only garners support (again, a very helpful thing), but it ties you publicly to your success.  It makes you think once, twice, thrice before you quit.  Or skip a day. Or two.  Or seven.  It keeps you from “vanishing softly and silently away.”

And if you have something tangible (e.g., the t-shirt), then even if nobody else knows about it — you’ll know.  And you’ll cringe, and wince, and feel horribly guilty whenever you see that t-shirt / sticker / tattoo.

This may not be a motivator for everyone.  But it sure works for me.

(But I’m not getting a tattoo.)

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