Write a Book Next Month. Do it!

Yes, it’s almost upon us again…National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it is also known. If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s pretty self-explanatory…a month-long quest to write a novel. Beginning November 1st, you write like a madperson everyday and try to get 50,000 words completed by midnight November 30th. Sound easy?  It isn’t, but it might be fun, and it might be the start of something fabulous in your life.

Personally, I think November can be a tough month to do this. Most of us are busy preparing for the holidays, which seems to take an enormous amount of time.  But if you feel like you want to cram in an extra bit of pressure, I say go for it!  What have you got to lose (besides your sanity)? And this year, you can get the kids to participate as well, with the NaNoWriMo Young Writer’s Program.

So, how do these programs work? While you could do this on your own, it’s fun to have some support.  Sign up, start prepping your ideas, and get ready to write starting November 1st.  Then, all you have to do is upload your daily word count (you can either put it in yourself, or upload your actual writing and they’ll add it up for you) and keep the words flowing. Don’t worry, they’re not going to steal your ideas and your work is still your own.  It’s just great incentive to see the number growing on your chart.  And who knows?  Maybe you’ll finish that novel after all.

There are pep talks, fun local connections (like writing zones in bigger cities where you can write alongside other NaNo’ers), and the chance to connect with other writers like yourself online. For the younger set, there are daily dares that will help get those creative juices flowing, and allow you to challenge yourself with daily writing goals.  While the adult goal is 50,000 words, the younger group is allowed to set their own reasonable goals (after all, their lives are busy…and they usually have to go to bed earlier than the rest of us!).

At the end, you “win” by getting to 50, 000 words.  Okay, you don’t actually win anything, except bragging rights, but they will send you a fun award widget you can post on your blog, website or other page for all your friends and family to see. (You don’t have to post it, of course. If you’re a closet writer, just keep it to yourself.) There are only eight days left to register and prepare.  Will you be ready?

Will it take a year, or three days?

While most novelists will tell you it took them at least a year, if not more, to write their masterpiece, there are still plenty of people who are willing to try their imaginations at various challenges, like writing a novel in a month (NaNoWriMo). How about writing one in a weekend? (Okay, a long weekend, but still, is three days enough?)

The 3-Day Novel Contest runs every Labor Day weekend and is open to anyone who wants to give it a try. 72 hours.  That’s all you’ve got to produce your work. Just register before the deadline and start thinking about your book. You can prepare a simple outline for the book, but keep it brief—it makes it more challenging that way.  Then stock up on coffee, book a hotel room or go to the cottage for some peace and quiet and fire up the laptop! 

The first prize is a promise of publication and 2nd and 3rd prizes are money. It’s worth a shot, don’t you think? Give it a try!

Get ready for Camp!

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Time to get the duffel bag packed and slather on the bug spray and sunscreen.  It’s camp time!  But this year, it’s for ADULTS, and it’s all about writing that novel you never have time for.

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you’ll know that come November, many would-be writers lock their doors, ignore the laundry piling up and get their laptops charged for some serious writing sessions. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) takes place for 30 days, and in that time, people challenge themselves to write at least 50,000 words…the length of the average novel.  It doesn’t have to be an award winner (although many great novels have been born of NaNoWriMo, including Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus) and everything you write remains yours.  This is just a fun way to get yourself motivated and be accountable to your goals for thirty days.

So…the idea of Camp NaNoWriMo sounds like fun! It runs during two separate months during the summer, June and August (maybe you’ll even get TWO novels finished) and allows people who register the option of treating it just like camp.  No, there won’t be any swimming lessons or campfire songs, but you can select to be in a “cabin” with specific writer friends, or go wild and take the random cabin option. Each group of 4 – 6 campers will be combined based on age or genre that you write, or you can be a rebel and opt out of a cabin completely.  Keep in mind, your fellow campers are going through the same struggle you are and they’ll be along to support you all month, and you can do the same for them.  If the going gets tough and you’re not meeting your word requirements, get out those pep talks and see how your cabin mates are doing it!

The best part of Camp NaNoWriMo?  It’s free!  And even if you sign up and don’t get very far, it’ll be lots of fun.  They send out great weekly letters to keep everyone motived and give people ideas.  Sound impossible?  Why not try something different this summer and write that novel you’ve always wanted to write.  It just might change your life!

Have you been to the circus?

I just started reading Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, but already, I want to be home reading it instead of at work! It tells the story of a young boy, Marco, and a young girl, Celia, who are taken under the watchful guidance of a pair of rivaling magicians.  Both are taught the art of magic and they are destined to duel each other until there is only one survivor. But the unthinkable happens….they fall in love. You can read a little more about the whole synopsis of the book here (don’t worry…it doesn’t give anything away.)

Morgenstern wrote this book in a variety of renditions, during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month….we’ve talked about that on this blog countless times). Her journey to publication hasn’t been easy, and after many revisions, she ended up with her pick of agents, which is a writer’s dream. But boy, is this book worth it! It’s not what I might normally read, but she draws you in right from page one and unravels the mystery of the Night Circus with characters that are rich and fascinating. I can’t wait to pick the book back up tonight, but at the same time, I know this is one that I’d like to savour.

If you haven’t read it yet, stop in and put your name down for The Night Circus.  You won’t be disappointed.

Happy Halloween!

While many of you will be standing at your door giving out treats tonight, or venturing out with your little ones, don’t forget that the library will be open until 9pm tonight. (A great place to escape if you don’t feel like listening to your doorbell ring 120 times.) 

And if you’re up for a challenge, don’t forget, midnight EDT is the start of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.  You still have time to plan something. What’s 50000 words in one month?   It’s only about 200 pages, double spaced.  You can do it!

It’s only October, but get ready for National Novel Writing Month!

Yes, NaNoWriMo is almost upon us again.  For those of you unfamiliar with the strange group of letters in the previous sentence, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month (it’s open to anyone though) and it challenges people to write that novel during the month of November.  No, it probably won’t be a piece of genius, but it provides incentive to get at least 50,000 words done in a month…enough to either start something great or just get anything down on paper.  For many people, the hardest part is getting started.

NaNoWriMo offers lots of fun things to help you along with your goal.  As you write each day (yes, you should set daily goals for yourself), you upload your word count and it will keep track of the total for you.  If you have a blog, they have great buttons to put on your site, and if you actually achieve the goal of 50,000 words, you’ll become a NaNoWriMo winner and they’ll give you a button to post that says so!  Wouldn’t you love for all your friends and family to know you’ve written a novel? Now’s your chance!

This is really just a fun effort, something to do as the days and nights get chilly and we’re not outside as much. But there are plenty of great reasons to do it other than that.  It’s a worthy goal, and who knows, you might really find out you enjoy writing. You might even decide that your work is worth spending more time on. If so, there are lots of great resources on their website to start looking at in December, if you feel like you want to do something with that novel.

NaNoWriMo is free, although you can donate to help with administration costs, it’s open to anyone 13 or older (they also have a Young Writers Program), and it’s just plain fun! Yes, you’ll have to upload that novel to their website for verification of wordcount, but it won’t be displayed to anyone. And while a person could just upload any old words (yes, even the same word 50,000 times), since there’s no real prize here except self-satisfaction, it doesn’t benefit anyone to do so.

So, while it’s only October, now is the time to start plotting that novel, visiting websites to learn about character development and pacing, or coming to the library to take out a few books on writing in general. You can even plan on bringing in your laptop and sitting here to write during November. It would be fun to have a few patrons participate this year!
Will YOU take the challenge and write that novel?

http://www.nanowrimo.org/