As preoccupied as I've been lately with dreams and nightmares and such, I realize -- thanks to a couple of friends who will be doing this -- that NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, will be coming up in November.
Most people reading this blog probably know that NaNoWriMo is a way to inspire and discipline people who've always wanted to write a novel to actually produce 50,000 words in novel form over the month of November.
It's free to enroll, and there are lots of resources and support structures to actually get the participants to remain on track. It's definitely a challenge, but it can be done.
As a matter of fact, last year I participated in NaNoWriMo. I figured that if lots of other people could do it, I would try for myself. I will qualify this with a couple clarifying points, though. First, I did NOT upload my work. I have a lot of reasons for not doing that, but primarily, my intent was to write something that I actually would sell for publication.
Second, 50,000 words is too short for me. I don't like books that are so short, so I intended to write beyond that goal.
So, the bottom line is that, yes, in 2009 I participated in NaNoWriMo. But I finished the novel I started that month in December -- so I went a bit overtime. The novel that I wrote ended up being about 75,000 words (which is also very short for me).
And the novel that I wrote is going to be published in 2011.
It's called Stick.
Is NaNoWriMo worth the effort?
Hell yes.
You can find out more, and sign up for, National Novel Writing Month here.
7 comments:
I love NaNoWriMo to an admittedly ridiculous degree. My sister and I start e-mailing each other in, like, August with such messages as, "Only three months till November ..."
It is such a good thing, and just the thought of all those other people out there working on their plotting and word-count is an enormous encouragement.
Have fun, Sarah.
I hope (hope!!!) to be soooo Not-Writing in November. If I could only finish these half-dozen obligations I have scattered here in front of me.
I've never seen any point to doing it myself because I don't need that kind of motivation. (And seriously I've written things three times that length in a month before) But if it helps other people then good for it.
I participated last year, too. And I will again this year, but not officially. Instead, I'm going to set my word count goal (starting tomorrow, actually) and keep going until my WIP is finished.
Get on that WIP, Tabitha. Like I said, just hanging in there last year and chatting/exchanging comments with friends in the mix of it helped me to work out a novel I am very proud of (that will also be published -- icing on the cake).
And Rogue, the point to doing it -- at least for me -- was that it was fun. Kind of like running a marathon (I have run -- and completed -- 30 of them... yes, 26.2 miles each). It's a lot more fun with other people running, as opposed to doing it alone, which I have also done.
Sadly I can't run a marathon. Stupid hammer toes.
Anyway, I'd feel embarrassed trying to act like it was a big deal for me or having other people think it was, because it's not.
But whatever, good luck to everyone else.
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