November is National Novel Writing Month (or NaNo for those of us on writing lists).
First done in November, 1999, the point of NaNo is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. This is a personal challenge. There are no rewards for completing the novel, except a little banner to put on your website or blog after it is verified by the NaNo staff that you did make it to 50,000. (They don<92>t read your novel; they do a word count and then delete it.) There are no promises of publication, although a growing number of NaNo participants have gotten publishing contracts.
The original NaNo had 21 participants and 6 winners. Last year, according to the NaNo media page, there were 59,000 participants and just shy of 10,000 winners. The rules are simple enough: you can only write the novel from midnight November 1 to 11:59 pm on November 30. You can plot, create characters, and what have you before November 1, but no writing.
Over the years, it has turned into a major event. People on my writing lists began talking about it in August. Around the world, NaNo groups are formed so people can meet in person to encourage each other, write, discuss, or be with other people going through the same rush of adrenalin in writing that many words in so short a period of time.
To reach your 50,000 words, you need to write approximately 1667 words every day in the month of November. Lots of people load up on their output early because they know when the end of the month comes, with Thanksgiving and holiday shopping, time becomes more scarce. (My personal opinion here: November might be one of the worst months of the year for this challenge. Not only do you have Thanksgiving, but there is football season <96> after a home Saturday, I don<92>t have the energy to read a book, let alone write one! <96> and hunting season, lots of days off school, exams, traveling. I guess the folks who came up with it in Oakland aren<92>t too worried about hunting season or mid-terms.) Anyway, to put those words in perspective, the average novel length is 100,000, so this is a very short book at first. The average magazine feature article is about 1500 words. It<92>s like writing one magazine article a day for a month.
So why am I talking about NaNo? Because my writing friends have talked me into it. Apparently, they think that my life as a full-time freelancer doesn<92>t have enough writing in it. Or maybe they think that I have a novel in me. Or they want to see me pull out the last hair on my head as I struggle to fit an extra 50,000 words into my life. But I signed up on the NaNo website (www.nanowrimo.org) and I<92>m not the only State College person to do so. Visit the website<92>s forums, and in the Pennsylvania: Elsewhere forum, you<92>ll find lots of local folks who are chatting and involved. There is also a Penn State thread there, too.
It<92>s not too late to start, even though November 1 has passed. You might have to write a few extra hundred words a day to catch up. Or not. It<92>s day 3, and I<92>ve written 880 words so far. I think I have a busy weekend ahead of me.
In early December, I<92>ll let you know how I<92>ve done and what I<92>ve gotten out of the experience.
First done in November, 1999, the point of NaNo is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. This is a personal challenge. There are no rewards for completing the novel, except a little banner to put on your website or blog after it is verified by the NaNo staff that you did make it to 50,000. (They don<92>t read your novel; they do a word count and then delete it.) There are no promises of publication, although a growing number of NaNo participants have gotten publishing contracts.
The original NaNo had 21 participants and 6 winners. Last year, according to the NaNo media page, there were 59,000 participants and just shy of 10,000 winners. The rules are simple enough: you can only write the novel from midnight November 1 to 11:59 pm on November 30. You can plot, create characters, and what have you before November 1, but no writing.
Over the years, it has turned into a major event. People on my writing lists began talking about it in August. Around the world, NaNo groups are formed so people can meet in person to encourage each other, write, discuss, or be with other people going through the same rush of adrenalin in writing that many words in so short a period of time.
To reach your 50,000 words, you need to write approximately 1667 words every day in the month of November. Lots of people load up on their output early because they know when the end of the month comes, with Thanksgiving and holiday shopping, time becomes more scarce. (My personal opinion here: November might be one of the worst months of the year for this challenge. Not only do you have Thanksgiving, but there is football season <96> after a home Saturday, I don<92>t have the energy to read a book, let alone write one! <96> and hunting season, lots of days off school, exams, traveling. I guess the folks who came up with it in Oakland aren<92>t too worried about hunting season or mid-terms.) Anyway, to put those words in perspective, the average novel length is 100,000, so this is a very short book at first. The average magazine feature article is about 1500 words. It<92>s like writing one magazine article a day for a month.
So why am I talking about NaNo? Because my writing friends have talked me into it. Apparently, they think that my life as a full-time freelancer doesn<92>t have enough writing in it. Or maybe they think that I have a novel in me. Or they want to see me pull out the last hair on my head as I struggle to fit an extra 50,000 words into my life. But I signed up on the NaNo website (www.nanowrimo.org) and I<92>m not the only State College person to do so. Visit the website<92>s forums, and in the Pennsylvania: Elsewhere forum, you<92>ll find lots of local folks who are chatting and involved. There is also a Penn State thread there, too.
It<92>s not too late to start, even though November 1 has passed. You might have to write a few extra hundred words a day to catch up. Or not. It<92>s day 3, and I<92>ve written 880 words so far. I think I have a busy weekend ahead of me.
In early December, I<92>ll let you know how I<92>ve done and what I<92>ve gotten out of the experience.
