Have you ever thought about writing a novel? Well, you can, and will, write one in a month. Seriously.
November is National Novel Writing Month, and NaNoWriMo will help you crank out a 50,000-word novel by the last day. Register on their website and get set up with a bunch of awesome and helpful resources, including email pep talks from successful writers, forums to chat (or whine) with other NaNoWriMo participants, and compare your word count (if you’re into that whole competitive thing).
And it’s not all Internet-based: NaNoWriMo can connect you to writers in your area and even helps organize writing meetups in participating local bookstores and libraries.
In addition to all of this November 18 is the Night of Writing Dangerously when you can write, eat and drink in a San Francisco ballroom. The money goes to the org’s Young Writer’s Program, which offers the exact same program, just with a pick-your-own word count.
After I registered, I found sage advice on this website. One of the tips they give is: “Tell everyone you know that you’re writing a novel in November. This will pay big dividends in Week Two, when the only thing keeping you from quitting is the fear of looking pathetic in front of all the people who’ve had to hear about your novel for the past month.” So get on it and then rub it in our faces!
If you write all 50,000 words, you are a winner! Among other things, you are eligible to receive 5 paperback copies of your finished novel from one of NaNoWriMo’s sponsors. Just think of how satisfying it will be to receive those. In fact, I don’t know why you’re still reading this. Go!
Images via thewritersworkshop.net
