November is National Novel Writing month, or NaNoWriMo for short. It’s a global challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.
It can be done. I’ve done it three times already. I’ll be trying again this month. But don’t expect to hear much from me during November. I’ll be writing during every spare moment.
Many, many people at some point in their lives say they’d like to write a book. Goodness knows, I’m one of them. But life happens, and the writing gets set aside for another year, and the stories don’t get written.
It’s unfortunate, because I sincerely believe that every person has a story in them, some story that they could share, be it science fiction, or a true historical tale. And while no one person can read every story ever written, I believe that every story ever written does have an audience somewhere.
In 2011, I took up blogging, and began posting based in a series of prompts to develop a character for a fictional story. Oh! I loved this. I came up with a whole story and numerous characters to interact with my first. But, like so many others, I assumed that the story would never get written.
In November of that year, a friend told me about NaNoWriMo. I started writing my story on November 8, and had my 50,000 words by November 29. What I originally thought was a single novel has developed into a trilogy for which I have one book written (and in revision), the second book more than half-way written, and the third still simmering in my head. I’ve written over 200,000 words and now consider myself a writer.
I also discovered a whole community of writers in the process. There’s the local group, many of whom I now consider friends in real life, and the cyber crowd that I know well through blogging and Twitter. It’s the support and camaraderie of these authors that keeps me going and makes me want to write every day (just like I am now).
This is what NaNoWriMo offers: An organized and rigorous framework in which to crank out 50,000 words of original writing. This includes tips and pep-talks throughout the month to help us overcome obstacles.
But more than anything perhaps, is that NaNoWriMo provides a supportive community in which everyone’s goal is the same: to write 50,000 words in one month. It’s not a competition. There are no judgements or grades. Just a number of words that you wrote that might never have been written otherwise.
The reward at the end, a story written that might never have seen the light of day, one that we as newly minted authors can share with others.
I’ve enjoyed NaNoWriMo so much in the past few years, that I decided to become a regional Municipal Liaison for NaNoWriMo. I now help plan and promote local events related to NaNoWriMo, and in doing so, I’ve gotten to know a ton of wonderful people, while still getting my own stories written.
Perhaps you’ll join me this year? You can find my NaNoWriMo profile here.
See this post mirrored over at the writrs tumblr.
Penny Higgins - Storyteller • Artist • Scientist 