Please excuse my absence yesterday. I did show up to blog, but Blogger was all glitchy and wouldn't let me post.
National Novel Writing Month ("NaNoWriMo") will begin in just a couple of weeks, and I'm sure a bunch of you are planning to accept the (totally nuts) challenge to pound out an entire novel in a mere thirty days.
Here's what I don't get about NaNoWriMo: Why November? Wouldn't October have been a better choice? Not only would paricipants have an extra writing day (October has 31 days to November's 30), they wouldn't have to cut short their writing time to go Christmas shopping and they wouldn't have to take an entire day off (Thanksgiving) to cook and visit with relatives.
Then again, maybe choosing the second-busiest month of the year was entirely intentional, as the spirit of NaNoWriMo appears to be yes, of course this is insane, nobody could write a novel in four weeks and even if they could, it would stink like three-day-old halibut in a broken refrigerator, but shoot, is that any reason not to make the attempt?
If you'll be joining the crazies this November, sing out in the Comments so we can all have a good laugh at you and then wish you well. (Note to non-writers: When writers call other writers crazy, they mean no insult; they're simply acknowledging kinship.)
Technorati Tags: writing, NaNoWriMo
20 comments:
Call me crazy! I signed up, and though I am still a rather inexperienced writer, I've got to say I'm excited about it. (Ask me again in a month; bet I'll be markedly less enthusiastic.) I've been feeling so stale- I needed a jump start. This seemed like the perfect combination of motivating and insane.
My user address:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/userinfo.php?uid=130993
I'm crazy, too.
This is my third NaNo. I think that confirms that I'm certifiable. :)
Aloha from Maui, Hawaii.
Darilyn
(Speedbump on the NaNo forums)
My motto is: The third time's the charm. I will work hard to finish it this year! For someone like me, who is a procrastinator by nature, it is going to be a huge inner battle. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? (and yes I do realize I'm the cliche' queen today!)
It's going to be my second year of NaNoWriMo and I'm so excited!
This year my friend is going to join into the craziness.
^_^
and I don't know why it's during November but I like it. Just about when I get used to the hectic school year. (I'm terrible at managing my time. I have to becareful this year or it's going to be one crazy November) x_x
But I can't wait! Writing is the only thing I really like to do, and that's the one thing I don't do much in my regular day life (creative writing, I mean). Because chemistry and physics are taking my time away...
18 more days. =D
Yes, this is going to be my fourth year NaNo'ing. I've hit the 50,000 words every year -- though never quite equalled my 2004 feat when I got totally carried away with my novel, put life on hold, and wrote over 150,000 words in 30 days. Weird.
In past NaNo's, I have written a Biblical/historical fic, a fantasy novel, a slightly-autobiographical contemporary novel -- it's really my time to try something different and get a draft I can work with. This year, I am actually kinda tempted to write a romance novel!
I can answer why the NaNo guys picked November. It's in Chris Baty's book NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM!
Back when Chris and a bunch of friends started it, they were all single, working, and living on their own (they might still be, I don't know). November was the best time for them because there was the Thanksgiving holiday for them to get off work, stay home and write (read: minimal family obligations for single young males during that weekend).
For others who are married with or without kids, November (and especially Thanksgiving) is probably the second crappiest time to have a novel-writing month (the first crappiest time being Christmas, in my opinion).
Camy
Hey, I've missed you lately!
Still considering the NaNo challenge. I did it last year, but I don't know about this year. I'm still editing last year's NaNo book.
Yep! I signed up again this year! I love the euphoria of hitting 50,000 words...and like last year, I will run right over here to tell you when I hit the goal...LOL!
Oh, yeah, I'm in! This will be my third year (and my third win).
There's so much energy around the Nano boards--I'm incredibly motivated and find pounding out a first draft to be relatively easy.
I did NaNoWriMo for the first time last year with my hubby having two separate business trips that month, we took a week's vacation over Thanksgiving to Orlanda and all the grandparents were coming HERE for Christmas! I had absolutely no business signing up on Oct 31 (!) and doing it but I LOVED IT! and I have become a zealot, trying to get every writer I know to do it. I'm signed up again this year, of course!
Camy, thanks for the info.
Dream, I've been busy with other things lately, but I do expect to get back to the Steeple Hill message boards. Thanks for missing me.
;-)
Reece, Amy, Darilyn, Pattie, Anonymous, Trudy, Bonnie, Katrina, and Nancy--NaNo participation is an act of sheer lunacy, but I happen to like nuts, so my hat's off to every one of you.
This is my second year and I'm really excited about it!
Oh yeah! NaNo is awesome! I won last year (and am currently editing that novel for submission). It was fantastic.
Crazy, yes. But what an adrenaline rush! Woo!
So, yes, I'm in again (in case you hadn't figured that out yet).
It's amazing how many people actually do manage to write 50,000 words in just 30 days. You NaNo-ers rock.
I just signed up for it. To add to the fun, I am moving in early November so now I have two things to be crazy about at the same time. Sometimes I wonder if I hate myself. Sometimes, there's no question about it at all.
Anonymous, I think you should get a new puppy after you move. Mopping up all those little puddles would give you some nice breaks from your writing and unpacking, don't you think?
I'm planning -- but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men...and those changing "real" jobs, moving, and adjusting to a new city (at the same time, TYVM!) Fortunately, I have a friend who's willing to be an additional supporter/prodder to keep me on track!
I did it last year and I wrote about 125 pages on the novel. The best I've done before that was about 75 pages on a novel before my insanely self-critical side shut the whole thing down.
I'm thinking of going for it again this year--- I know I'm not going to finish in one month, around here there's lots to do in November--- deer hunting season, goat-and-sheep breeding season, time to clean up the yard before it all gets snowed on.....
Hmm. Sounds like Cindy and Nissa are making excuses.
;-)
It will be fun to see who all makes a stab at writing a novel in 30 days. As usual, I'll be sitting here on the sidelines, heckling for all I'm worth.
;-)
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