NaNoWriMo Is Coming!

“NaNoWriMo is coming!”

“Nanna Who is coming?”

“Not Nana – NaNo.”

“Nano nano?”

“No.  NaNoWriMo.”

“Okay.  What’s a NaNoWriMo?”

“NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.  It’s a month long ascent into madness in which participants are challenged to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.”

“Impossible.”

“Not impossible.  Thousands of people all over the world do it every year in November, including me.”

“Right.”

“It’s true!  And some people work on their novels after November and edit them and send them off and get them published – some even make it to the best sellers list: Night Circus and Water for Elephants both started as NaNoWriMo novels.”

“In one month?”

“No, silly.  You can get a rough draft in one month – polishing it takes a lot longer.”

“I don’t know… 50,000 words in 30 days…”

“That’s only 1667 words per day. And there will be lots of others doing it too, all over the world and probably right in your own local area.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. And there will be write-ins where you can get together with other people in the same boat you’re in, and commiserate, and share inspiration, get to know other writers and just have fun.  Oh, and a Kick Off Party to get everyone rolling and a TGIO party. (Thank Goodness It’s Over… which is immediately followed by:  How Long Until We Can Do This Again?)”

“How do I find out about all this?”

“Well, for starters, go to http://www.nanowrimo.org and register. Don’t worry, it’s free, and there’s no charge for any of the events, either.  When you register, you’ll be asked if you want to choose a home region. Find the one that is closest to you and mark it as your home region.”

“What happens when I do that?”

“Well, one of the things is that at the bottom of the lists of forums you’ll find one for your region.   In the regional forum you’ll find… well, in my region you’ll find a calendar that will list the dates, times, and places of various events, and threads with useful information and links to websites that can help you with your novel, as well as various other discussions.   And once a week or so during November you’ll get a pep talk email from your Municipal Liaison.”

In all seriousness, NaNoWriMo is an insane amount of fun. 

It’s about writing a novel, yes, but it is also about unleashing your creative potential.  Allow yourself to cut loose, lose your inhibitions, and, yes, be silly.  So come on and join the fun! 

Paula ~ 

just one of many friendly neighborhood Municipal Liaisons
(a fancy way of saying that I’m a slightly crazed volunteer)

Still have questions?  Feel free to leave me a message in the comments section and I’ll do my best to answer them for you.