The leaves are beginning to change, the days are getting shorter, and the air is filled with a faint whiff of “I’m going to write me a novel.” Yes, it’s nearly November, which means nearly time for NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, wherein thousands of people around the globe attempt to write a novel in a month and opt for plot over pumpkin pie, turning points over turkey, and foreshadowing over football.
Are you participating? What do you think of NaNoWriMo? Is it a great opportunity to finally get over the hump and get that novel going? Or is writing best done when not in a mad dash?
Let this also serve as a preview for a NaNoWriMo themed week on the blog next week, wherein I will attempt to get those who are participating in the right frame of mind to write pages like they have never written pages before.
Claudia says
I so much want to do this, but suspect the month I'm due back at work after maternity leave is NOT the right month to try Wri-ing a No in.
TiffanyD says
I love NaNo! This will be my 6th year. It's fun and puts a finite end to the rough-draft process, which otherwise can drag on and on and on and on….
Kristen says
I've seen two major viewpoints among friends:
Nanowrimo is…
1) Awesome for getting over initial noveling anxiety given the provided structure and support.
2) Awful for "real" noveling because of the short time period and emphasis on output over quality.
Therefore, my conclusion is Nanowrimo's value depends on a combination of where you are as an author and how well you manage your anxiety.
Now I'm tempted to draw a matrix demonstrating my theory…
abc says
Imma do it! But what is this about meeting people? On the forums? I need to meet people. I also plan to drink a lot of red wine, mostly port. And good chocolate. And organic pumpkin pie. And wear tweed. It's gonna be awesome!
Suzi McGowen says
When I first did NaNo, I didn't do it to write a novel in a month. The word count was too low, and I don't think it's possible to write anything I'd want to claim in a month's time.
I did it to see if I had a novel's worth of ideas in me. It turns out I had lots of novels in me. And so I started writing, thanks to NaNo.
Caroline says
This will be my second year. I'm hoping that, like last year, it will allow me to write without inhibitions again. My creativity gets stifled by my deafening inner editor. I don't see this as a way for me to write a viable novel (although that would be great, and it has been done). I see it as a writing exercise and good therapy.
Last year brought me a local writing group, elation when I hit 50k (then 75k), and a novel I LOVE, even if it's nothing publishable.
My NaNo page: https://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/515973
exploringeliza says
NaNo! I've been dithering back and forth, since I am currently wrapped in the loving arms of a novel in progress already. But I'm going to do it! And on December first I will wipe up all the brain good smeared over my keyboard.
Patrice says
Don't say no no to NaNo! Say yes!
I'm doing it for the first time this year, since the dates work for me. Convenient that it starts on a Monday.
I've written commercial fiction, a courtroom drama, a comic memoir, and a kid's fantasy (plus lots of short stuff) but I'm going to try literary fiction for NaNo. We'll see if it actually turns out that way — plot and twists keep percolating in a very commercial way in my brain, even as I try to think lit fic.
Good luck to all fellow NaNoWrimers!
Robin McCormack says
I will be doing it again this year. Discovered NaNoWriMo in 2007 and love it. Great way to jump start a story, great motivation and challenges me. Looking forward to your posts about Nano.
S.B. says
Not this year, but I have in the past and loved it. It was more of an exercise to try new stuff and get a story "out of my system".
Reena says
I will be participating unless I manage to get a job–grad school and novel I can do, work and grad school and novel might kill me.
I've done NaNo three times before–I am awful at finishing things without a deadline–but this will be the first year I'll be writing with a detailed outline. Hopefully I will end up with a draft that is not a total mess.
Kathleen says
I have never heard of this before now but I am so in. I think it's a great motivator and I am psyched to finish my WIP before Thanksgiving!!
Terin Tashi Miller says
Mr. Agent Man: I'm participating in "NaNoReWriMo," also known as revising a rough draft of my latest novel.
So, I can't honestly say I'm going to try to write a novel in November. I'm going to try to maybe finish revising one I started last year, though…and if I'm lucky, I'll be happy with it by the end of November.
But no promises…
Of course, once it's where I want it, I'll query you…:)
Maybe in "NaNoQeMo", which could be December or early next year…
Kristen says
Ended up making the matrix:
Will Nanowrimo likely help you?
It does assume the person in question wants to write a novel.
fairyhedgehog says
I love Nanowrimo for the camaraderie, the challenge, and the excitement.
There's no way I'm going to get a usable novel out of it but then I'm an amateur. The more of us hobbyists there are the more room there is for the professionals!
Kelli says
I'm going to NaNo again this year. I tried last year. And yes, in that I use 'try' to mean attempt and fail. But this year feels different. I'm not in love with this story, I'm not as serious about this book, so I know I won't labor over it. It should be fun. I'm excited.
Jenny says
No NANO this year. But it works great if I'm not in the middle of something, and wanna just cut loose. Though you do meet some rockin people.
Jenny says
No NaNo this year. But it works great if I'm not in the middle of something, and wanna just cut loose. Though you do meet some rockin people.
Audreya says
I don't think I will this year. However, I am going to use it as motivation to revise / edit / generally makeover my novel from last NaNo (well, that I finished shortly after NaNo and have done little with since then).
Plus, the other part of my NaNo job is keeping Kelli from getting too fiesty! 🙂
Mithril Rose says
I am most certainly taking part, I love NaNo! Last year was my first try at it and I won, which was an awesome feeling. This year I'm doing something even more crazy and attempting 2 novels at once! Am I insane? Why, yes, yes, I am. ^_^
Hannah Jenny says
I'm not participating this year–I'm in college and need to focus on other things (not that I don't get some writing in, but something as intense as a novel in one month isn't a great idea). I hope to participate eventually because it sounds like loads of fun!
Nicole says
This will be my first year doing NaNo, and I'm so excited! I've wanted to do it for years but haven't had the time. It seems like a valuable exercise – both in terms of pushing yourself to see what you're capable of and in the way the event focuses on community for writers.
Other Lisa says
NoNoNaNo!
StaceyW says
I'd love to try it, but I'm not that masochistic. I've got two careers, a packed calendar, a kid and one novel already in the works. Maybe I'll try my own version: NaNoReMo – National Novel Revising Month. That'd be great inspiration to finish revisions and get a step closer to sending queries.
Ahh, I feel a NaNoReMo blog post coming on….
Marilyn Peake says
NaNoWriMo sounds like so much fun. It also sounds exhausting, but definitely fun. Every year, I think how much fun it might be to participate, but there’s no way I’ve ever been able to work the rest of my schedule around it. I’m glad you’re going to run a NaNoWriMo themed week on your Blog next week, to get people in the mood for intense writing. I’m trying to keep a rather intense writing schedule myself right now and could use any and all extra motivation. I’m working on two novels and have an idea for a third.
Suzie F. says
Heck, yeah!
This will be my 2nd. My first was very productive. I didn't "win" with 50k but I won in the sense that I wrote more than I ever had in a month. What I love about the NaNoWriMo is that it forces my inner editor to keep quiet which loosens my writing up.
It's insane, exhausting, and exhilarating all at the same time.
And yeah, I'll be extremely busy with work, 4 kids and a house, but who isn't?
Can't wait!
Mira says
So tempted. It's exactly what I need. But I just don't think it's realistic with my schedule of work and school. School is less demanding this year, thank god – but that could change, and I still have about a year to go.
But I will very much enjoy your posts, Nathan, and I'm looking forward to them.
Have I mentioned how much fun it is to have you back? It's very much fun.
Kristina says
I did last year, but with school and work (no school last year) there's just no way I can do it. That rules out next year as well … maybe 2012? I loved doing it last year. I didn't get 50k, but it was so fun to write till my brains fell out (and then some). Rock on, NaNo-ers!
Ginger Merante says
Nano is what a person makes of it. I did my first Nano last year. At 50k words, my book was far from done or perfect. Complete at over 70k words, it took several revisions and edits before I put it to bed and started the query process. For me, I will be starting the next book in the series and I'm itching for Nov 1st to get here.
I do have to note. I joined the local chapter in my area and went to a meet up. I ended up leaving an hour later. It seemed the people in my area were an established group and were not interested in any new members. They were quite rude. I found most of my support online, mostly on Twitter.
Maya says
Undecided. I've never done it before, but it sounds fun. Plus I'm just finishing up my first draft of my WIP — so it might be nice to work on something new!
Marilyn Peake says
Curious, I went to the NaNoWriMo website. Looks like the goal for the length of a NaNoWriMo novel is 175 pages (50,000 words). I’m thinking maybe … maybe … I could do that. God help me, I’m thinking about maybe possibly taking part in NaNoWriMo.
HaHaHa … My word verification is "exclame" … I'll say … It's like "exclaim" but typed too quickly to be spelled correctly. But either way, it means, "What am I thinking!?"
Honors Code says
This will be my first year doing NaNo, and I'm somewhat apprehensive and excited at the same time. I know my writing is still a long way from professional levels, but in a field where only practical application improves you, I think it will be a helpful exercise. As an added bonus, I've met other writers who live in my area, and it is wonderful to connect to people who share your same hopes, desires, fears, and psychoses.
Hannah says
November has officially transformed from a month in which you meet with your crazy family and friends to a month in which you write with even crazier family and friends, some of whom are halfway across the globe.
…Of course I'm participating in NaNo this year!
Heather Kelly says
I love NaNo. I love connecting with community, and the rush of adrenaline. NaNo fits how I normally write novels, hot and heavy, waiting for the revision in order to breathe life and depth into them. I love that my kids get excited about writing their own NaNo novels, and that they can finally connect with my writing in this way. The only down side to NaNo is the backlash that happens within the writing community. I have already seen many blog posts about how pantsing a book can not ever produce anything worthwhile. And posts on how the NaNo word count is just too high to be effective. I know NaNo isn't for everyone. But I love it. It's exciting and crazy and I've met the most wonderful people doing it. Long Live NaNo!!
Penelope says
Participating and excited about it!
I need deadlines, so this will be good for me.
Stephanie Barr says
I never intend to participate because I know that, for me, forced writing is bad writing. Cool for those that can work with it, though.
Ironically, though I wasn't going to participate (and didn't officially), I got the inspiration to write a novel from beginning to end from Sept 23 through November 4, ~98,000 words. Strange coincidence, no?
And, with almost no edits after three run-throughs, it's still the cleanest novel I've ever written first draft.
Ted Fox says
I have lots of respect for those of you who can do this. Unfortunately, I can't ignore my compulsion to edit as I go, making such a task almost impossible. Then again, humor writers are supposed to be neurotic, right? It's the Larry David model.
Shelley Watters says
I'm participating. It's my first Nanowrimo. I've got a complete novel that I'm querying and I've been reading like a mad woman. So I figured it would be a good exercise to getting me flexible to write the next book. (I tend to do freewrites to get the ideas flowing for books – so this is right up my alley). Of course NaNo does not produce queryable novels – that is way too short of an amount of time to assume that what you write will be any good. But I'm taking it as a first step in completing another book – to come out with something at the end that I can work from. Or, you know, throw it out because it's complete crap. 🙂
Anonymous says
yeah NANOWRIMO!!!
Most fun we writers almost ever get to have in a group!
Soooo heady: across the globe all of us imagining and plotting and pounding the keyboards away.
You betcha, I'm participating. I'm so excited, I hardly know which story outline I'm going to choose.
Of course, there is slow, methodical writing too. But fast and furious is FUN! (Only your blurry-eyed editor will know for sure, but afterward, in the editing room, there will be some 'splaining to do, Lucy!)
Tori says
Yes. A million times yes. Nano gave me my very first novel. It was crap, so much so that it was put under my bed never to be seen again (I was ten) but without Nano I don't think I would have ever had the courage to begin writing. Plus, I've been editing the same novel for three months with no end in sight…it will be refreshing to put that aside for awhile and work on something different! Woot! I've been working compulsively on an outline all week. I have pretty good feelings about this year. I think I'll come out with something awesome.
Susan Antony says
I'm on the line. I need to finish my current novel, but I have a story swirling in my head.
Anonymous says
Ive been participating in National Novel Writing Year…. my baby will never be finished…sigh.
Anonymous says
I'm doing it for the first time this year and very excited! I think it's a great way to get people past their inner editor and let the words flow so they can finally accomplish something.
Mismikado says
This is my first year of participating. I am so excited it's not even funny 🙂 The perfect story came to me a few weeks ago and now I cannot wait for Nov to get started. I'm also hoping to hit up a couple write-ins to meet some awesome people.
Wool in Sunshine says
I'm doing it for the first time this year, and I'm little worried about the whole thing. I've written short stories and a novella but never a novel, and I'm prone to edit and re-edit a page/chapter/paragraph before moving on, so I'm hoping this exercise will force me to just write!
Taymalin says
I'm going to give it a try. I'm not a very fast writer, but I've got a novel I want to write, but every time I've tried it I've given up. I'm hoping that rewriting the outline and using it as a NaNo project will help me get the whole thing out.
Amanda says
I wasn't going to, but since I have been in a major writing funk lately, I figure it can't hurt. At the very least, it will hopefully get my juices flowing again. We'll see!
But don't fret. You won't see a query from me on Dec. 1st. 😀
Becca says
Yes, I am participating. I am a lazy butt, so this is the best way for me to actually write something. The editing comes later, but at least I get something written down.
Ben Woodard says
Last year was my first try. As a new writer, my max story length was around 10K words. Didn't think I could write 50K, but I did it. And it was decent. Probably not good enough to publish, but a real novel. I was ecstatic. Cheers for NaNo!
Alii Silverwing says
Yup. I'm participating. 🙂
I like it as an excuse to hole up for a month and put words on paper. Everyday life gets in the way for me the rest of the year. Nano's a convenient time to just be: "Look. Writing. Go away. You want me to /win/ don't you?"
Others step back in the face of a 'contest', and it makes it much much easier for me to claim time for one of my pre-planned projects. ^^