by Kathy W.
National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org) is an extravaganza that traditionally takes place in November. WriMo’s are people who participate in this, well, mad writing marathon. In 2010, over 200,000 people worldwide took part. I did it, as did several other members of our Vernon Writers Group. The goal is to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November. (Most novels are at least 80,000 words.) If you achieve the 50K word count you get a cool certificate to print and hang on the wall. And that manuscript you produced, of course! No matter if it’s 10K or 25K or the magical 50K, it’s a major ego booster even when there are plot holes that could swallow Mac trucks.
I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo six times. It has made me a better writer. Why? It’s intense writing practice. In the beginning I primarily focused on word count, but after I knew I could write 50K, I focused on things in my writing that needed improvement. In 2010 I discovered the joys of plot! To me, that’s the most important value of this exercise. Writing better. There’s also a marvelous online community of fellow writers to commiserate with and lots of general writing information in the Forums (message boards).
Ever heard of Water for Elephants? Written during NaNoWriMo.
I’m bringing this up now because for the first time ever there’s going to be Camp NaNoWriMo this summer! They haven’t yet announced which summer month. I’ll post it either here or at the Yahoo group site when the information is available, or you can check their website.
I'll participate. But it’s always more fun with friends. If you sign up, let me know. We can be NaNo buddies.
4 comments:
Kathy,
I didn't know that little tidbit about Water for Elephants. I'm reading it now, before I see the movie. How cool to know someone in the burbs actually DID what we aspire to.
Carol
I think it was among the first NaNo creations to be published. Encouraging to be sure!
And here's the update on the Summer Camp Session, from the newsletter:
"Our plan is to open the gates to Camp NaNo–a variation of November’s literary adventure for non-November months–in mid-to-late June. You'll be able to cruise around the site and get oriented before the summer sessions start. Then in July, you can participate for the first time ever! Not all of the fancy functionality will be in place yet, but you will be able to track your progress, search for other writers on the site, and send messages to fellow campers. In August, the fully loaded camp experience will be ready for all to enjoy..."
It sounds like they may set up a separate site for the summer stuff. We'll all find out later!
Well, Camp NaNoWriMo is off and running. Check it out at: http://www.campnanowrimo.org/sign_in
The website went live just a few days ago and I found out this evening. I haven't explored yet, and have no ideas for a new novel. If I can figure out how to keep track of word count, I might do an EdMo (Edit Month) on one of the novels I have in progress.
Kathy
I just found this blog while searching for other Illinois WriMos!
I grew up in Prairie View and have many fond memories of the VAPLD. Now I teach English at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, and we're hosting our second annual series of workshops and write-ins.
Below is a link to our library's NaNoWriMo guide. It includes our workshop and write-in schedule. We'd love to have you join us!
http://researchguides.oakton.edu/nanowrimo
Lori Oster
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