It’s a little thing called NaNoWriMo. Actually, I should’ve highlighted the O there to be something like nanOwrimO but never mind all of that, I just want to share about one of my favorite yearly events.(I also want to drag you into the insanity right along with me–erm, I mean, do keep reading my wonderful, charming reader!) ^_^ ‘
Some days, I feel as if I could be the poster child for NaNo and other days, I’d rather hide in a cave and get lost in my own writing world rather than trying to explain my creative addiction. *sigh* But I’m going to go ahead and explain it. Mostly because of a certain creative friend’s fb status that was simply a match to the smoldering fire that I painstakingly stow away for use during November only. ^_^
I can honestly say I’m addicted here. Really, truly and seriously. Thankfully, I have enough ideas in my head to keep it from becoming a compulsive nightmare of sorts, but since discovering this wonderful adventure a few years back, I have found that I simply cannot skip a year. It’s just too fun and I honestly enjoy it.
Yes, it happens in the busiest month of the year. Yes, I am a full-time student and I work as well. Some years have been harder than others, but I don’t see that as an obstacle. For those of you who read my blog quite regularly, you’ve probably out that I have a rather odd system as far as logical reasoning is concerned and that for everything else I do, writing has to fit into it in some way or another. NaNo kind of fits in that category.
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, though it has been on an international level for several years now as folks from all around the globe join up to participate in the annual event of monthly madness.
The object is to write a novel in the busy month of November. A novel with a minimum of 50,000 words.
Gulp.
Now hold up just a second there, don’t you dare quit reading here. Fifty thousand words really isn’t a big deal. In fact, when you break it down into small, daily bite-sized chunks, guess what? You’re only writing about 1667 words a day. That’s quite manageable. Especially, when you consider how many words you probably write on average per day. Factor in work or school articles, blog posts, Facebook status/comments and such. You’d be surprised how much you really do write and that is just for the boring everyday stuff! Imagine if it was something that you really enjoyed writing or a project that you’d been meaning to start for a while.
See where I’m going with this?
Now, NaNo isn’t just for writers-if you feel that you’d like to try something different in your life, maybe an autobiography or to consistently journal or blog through a month, this is a great tool and exercise for that. The NaNo community is one of the largest and most supportive groups you’ll find for embarking on such a wild creative venture.
You have fun things like a profile where you can post a mock cover of your novel, an excerpt, and participation icons. There’s also a spot to update your word count and a spot to keep track of your writing buddies and fellow wrimos.
There’s also places for local participation. Most folks can sign into the site and choose a region close to them. The regional coordinator is known as your ML(municipal liaison) and they plan fun things like the kick-off party, the TGIO party, weekly write-ins, group chats, word wars and everything–and they even manage to get their own novel written while making it a cool experience for you. Be nice to your ML’s. They like treats. 😛
Now, onto the rules. It’s very basic. You can’t write anything before November first, but you are allowed to plot and brainstorm and write up character profiles and all of that. When the clock strikes midnight, go for it! That’s all there is to it. Here’s their nutshell explanation if mine didn’t do it for you.
Bet it’s simpler than you thought it would be. If you’re going to take the plunge this year, head on over and sign up, then pop back over here and tell me. I’ll happily add you as a writing buddy and bug you through the whole month or annoy you with my word count.
Erm, I meant, I would gladly encourage you to keep on writing through the entire month and I’d be happy to have a word war at any time.
You can find me on NaNo as Scarletfury. You’ll know it’s me because last year’s novel info for Blood Library is still there. (Psst, I have an excerpt, a cover and everything!) 😛
2011 will be my sixth year. I’m absolutely psyched. I can’t wait for it.
Three cheers to NanOwrimO and I hope to see you there. Be on the lookout for more NanOwrimO themed posts and bursts of random hyperness as November approaches. (I might even mention how I manage to write 100k words in the midst of chaos!).
NaNo is something I love to pieces and I hope to share that snippet of writing magic with you–c’mon and sign up! Don’t just take my word for it. Try it out for yourself and see. You really don’t have anything to lose–and you’ll have quite a few words to show for the effort, so go! What are you waiting for?
P.S. To join in the fun of this weekly blog meme, click here!
