Event: NaNoWriMo
Today, I’d like to introduce those of you who have not yet made her acquaintance to the evil temptress otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. And for those of you who know her (all too) well, some words of encouragement and an invitation to a support group.
This time of year, writers online are all aflutter with the approach of NaNoWriMo. Or, as her full name states, National Novel Writing Month. She’s a demanding friend, luring you into a commitment to write 50,000 words in just 30 days, starting November 1st. For the math geeks among us, that’s 1667 words per day. Or, if you’re like me, about 500 words each day until the last ten days, at which point you panic, give up sleep, and start typing frantically in order to reach your goal.
Success is defined by NaNoWriMo as completing the 50k words. The idea is just to write – no editing, no going back over your earlier work. Just write. A lot. Others have their own definitions of success, including actually wrapping up the story in 50k words or lofty ideas like having written 50k words of something worth editing and perhaps eventually publishing.
My goal this year is to write 50k words of my Novel in Twelve Months. I’m shooting for approximately 100k words overall, so that only puts me at the halfway point. Still, half is a great achievement on the way to my larger goal.
What does NaNoWriMo success look like to you?
So for those of you who are NaNoWriMo vets, as well as the newly inducted, here’s a great post I came across recently (no idea where, which bothers me as I’d like to give credit) from Terrible Minds: 25 Things You Should Know About NaNoWriMo. There’s some language, if you’re a really sensitive soul, but there’s also some amazing practical advice for not just NaNoWriMo but for all of writing. I especially like:
- #5: The Problem with 50,000 Words
- #10: We’re Not All Robots Who Follow The Same Pre-Described Program
- #15: NaStaPlaMo
- #20: The Self-Publishing Marketplace Is Not Your Vomit Bag
- #22: Engage The Community (But Realize That Writing Is Up To You)
- #25: November Is Just Your Beginning
Apparently I like multiples of five. I threw in #22 just to disprove that theory.
Realizing Girlyfight is not only for writers, I’d love to see a group of us supporting each other during the November NaNoWriMo craziness (and beyond, obviously). There have been years that I did not participate by writing a novel but instead showed solidarity by working on another project every day. You might consider blogging each day. Or painting each day. Or sewing. Or crocheting. Or cooking. Or dancing. Whatever it is that you do, November might be a fun time to stand with others by dedicating a bit of time each day to creativity. It’s also a good time to start getting ahead on Christmas projects if that’s your thing.
To that end, I’m going to set up a post on our message boards for NaNoWriMo. Whatever it is that you’re going to do next month, even if you don’t do it every day for the whole month, I hope you’ll consider checking in periodically. For those of you who are busy, the rest of us could use a cheering section so you’re welcome to stop in as well.
The message boards require registration (link near the top) that includes listing your location – the information is collected for anonymous use in the Nice Things Project data (to track the “nicest” cities) and is not displayed as part of your message board profile.
Who’s with me?
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I might be a little slow, but I didn’t realize there were message boards on Girly Fight! Just created an account.
I haven’t officially announced it on my blog, but I’m participating in a creativity challenge as an alternative to NaNoWriMo. I’m stretched a little thin to think I can pull off 50,000 words, but I CAN do something creative everyday in Nov and write about it on my blog.
I’m excited for everyone who’s giving NaNoWriMo a shot this year, and I’m hoping to get a copy of Scrivener for Christmas this year. So…maybe 2012 will be my NaNoWriMo year?
Emily Suess recently posted..Best. Monday. Ever.
Emily – I often do something in solidarity if I can’t participate outright. I’m excited to be back at it this year with an actual plan. I can’t wait to see what you come up with! And yes, we have boards but they’re rather dead. Hoping to change that soon.