National Novel Writers Month

I have always loved reading and writing. Perhaps because of this I have always felt that one day I too would write a book of my own. I am not claiming that it would be the next great novel or have all the hype that Twilight, 50 Shades of Grey or The Hunger Games series have but I would be ok with that. So this year to force myself to take the plunge and fulfill my dream (hopefully without stopping 10 chapters in as I have previously), I registered for NaNo.

NaNo (aka: NaNoWriMo) is short for National Novel Writers Month. It’s for anyone who wants to write. The goal is to write 50,00 words, which is the average for most novels these days, during the month of November. There are groups all over the world that meet throughout the month to share ideas, encourage, and help each other with their work.

On November 1, they will unlock the novel-excerpt and word-count area of a member’s author profile and members will be available to start using those areas. This allows users to  post word count, view personal stats, and share bits and pieces of your work-in-progress with friends and fans.  Its free to register and you can do so before or after the start of November.

 My thought is that even if I don't succeed bug I try, and I mean really try and not half-ass it then that is good enough for me. No excuses, get to thinking and to typing. I look forward to getting to work and hopefully hearing from some of you people out there that are also going to be writing. Wish me luck.


Below are just a few highlights of the website to whet your appetite. I hope that after reading them that those of you out there that feel inclined to write, just like I do, will go visit the site yourselves and perhaps give it a go.


From the NaNo Website:

Tips to Get You From 0 to 50K
Before you head off to train those typing fingers, we wanted to offer a few bits of advice. You’ll find many great tips in the forums, and we’ll be sending pep talks directly to your NaNoMail (your on-site inbox) during November. But for now, here’s a quick overview of the three-and-a-half things we wish we had known for our first NaNoWriMo:

1) It’s okay to not know what you’re doing. Really. You’ve read a lot of novels, so you’re completely up to the challenge of writing one. If you feel more comfortable outlining your story ahead of time, do it! But it’s also fine to just wing it. Write every day, and a book-worthy story will appear, even if you’re not sure what that story might be right now.

2) Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December and beyond. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it’s hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nitpicky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn’t. Every book you’ve ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.

3) Tell everyone you know that you’re writing a novel in November. This will pay big dividends in Week Two, when the only thing keeping you from quitting is the fear of looking pathetic in front of all the people who’ve had to hear about your novel for the past month. Seriously. Email them now about your awesome new book. The looming specter of personal humiliation is a very reliable muse.

3.5) There will be times you’ll want to quit during November. This is okay. Everyone who wins NaNoWriMo wanted to quit at some point in November. Stick it out. See it through. Week Two can be hard. Week Three is much better. Week Four will make you want to yodel.

And we’re talking the good kind of yodeling here.

Did You Know…

• They have partnered with libraries and independent bookstores around the world who welcome our participants into their branches and stores every November as part of a community building initiative called Come Write In. Visit the Come Write In pages under NaNo Near You to find the closest novel-loving partner in your neighborhood!
• NaNoWriMo offers a kid-and teen-focused version of the month-long noveling challenge called the Young Writers Program. Over 2,000 classrooms and 50,000 young writers participate annually! Learn more at ywp.nanowrimo.org.