Kate Warren

Last time we covered myths about National Novel Writing Month.  For this blog post we'll talk about reasons why anyone might choose to participate in this event.

For those who are as yet unaware: National Novel Writing Month, commonly abbreviated as NaNoWriMo, is a 30 day literary challenge in which each participant strives to write 50,000 words before midnight on the last day of the month.  All of these words must be written during the month of the event, which is November.  And contrary to the name, it's actually inter-national now.

But what's the point, you ask?  The point is to let go of your doubts, your fears, that voice in your head that says you can't/shouldn't/have-no-business doing something.  In this case that something is writing a novel.  A lot of new and established writers deal with doubts about their work.  NaNo give you an excuse to force those doubts from your mind, suck it up, and just write the first draft.

On to the reasons!

Reason 1: Anti-Someday
Have you been thinking about writing a book someday?  Ever noticed that someday never seems to come around?  Half of everything is just showing up.  If you want to write a book, you have to "show up" to write it.  Sit down and do this thing.  NaNo can be very helpful with that.  It's only one month out of a year.  And if you try and decide it's not for you, that's fine.  NaNo asks the question: why wait until someday when you could write it in Nowvember?  Yes, I made up that word.  I like it, and I shall keep it.

Reason 2: Motivation
Maybe you're already writing but you've hit a slump, or a block, or like me you couldn't self-motivate to save your asterisk.  Well it's oddly motivating to have several hundred thousand people all over the world doing this with you.  Everyone writes their own story, but you're all writing at the same time.  If you're competitive, you can use your writing buddies' word counts as motivation to do better.  If you're not competitive, there's still the self-challenge, which isn't much to ask for one month.  I do most of my writing in November.  Why?  Because NaNo is highly motivating for me.  

Oh, and before I forget, you don't have to be a novelist to participate.  The Rebels forum is full of people who are writing non-fiction, memoirs, short story collections, etc.  You can even work on an existing story, as long as you only count words written during the event.

Reason 3: Support
The site is jam-packed with people who know the joys and pains of writing.  Whatever you're going through, someone else has been there.  Need advice, or just a place to vent about a character who won't behave?  Go to the forums or NaNoMail a buddy. 

There are Pep Talks too, to boost your spirits in those middle days when your momentum is flagging.  This year alone we will have pep talks by Bella Andre, James Patterson, and Patrick Rothfuss, and those are only a few of the well-known authors who will help us along our journey.  Also writing pep talks: NaNo veterans and staff who have been there and done it, and quite literally have the t-shirts.

Reason 4: Community
This is sort of related to support, but goes to a whole other level.  There are inside jokes, and tips, and entire fora devoted to helping you on your NaNo journey.  Need a name, a plot twist, a bit of dialogue or a title?  Check out the Adoptables.  Have a research issue?  Try the reference desk.  Plot holes the size of small European nations?  Go to Plot Doctoring.  Can't decide between two or more things?  Post in the polling booth to get opinions from others.  

There are genre lounges, and age groups, and fan groups, there's even a forum called "NaNoWriMo Ate My Soul" for people having trouble (though I think I've laughed more in that one than any of the others, except maybe "Adopt a Villain Catchphrase").  The world of NaNo is also organized into geographic regions so you can connect with other writers in your area, if that's something you want to do. 

Throughout the forums the rule is friendliness and help.  There is a real sense that we're in this thing together.  We cry on each others' proverbial shoulders and celebrate each others' successes, and we all share a unique experience.  Win or lose, we are WriMos.  And we are awesome!

Reason 5: It's fun!
I won't lie, the first year was terrifying and nerve-wracking, but it was also amazing.  Each year since the fear gets less and so far the fun keeps going.  This will be my fifth NaNo, and it's something I look forward to each year.  In fact, it something a lot of people look forward to.  There are many, many repeat WriMos.

We have a great time bonding over strange things that appear on our computer screens, especially when we're writing while tired, or fun typos.  There's a forum called "Games, Diversions, & other Exciting Forms of Procrastination" that's full of word games and such.  There are word wars, which I've never done but I hear are a ton of enjoyment and also help with the word count.  People write songs about NaNo, poems about NaNo, there's even a musical about NaNo (look it up on YouTube; it's great!).  NaNoToons, an ongoing, event-specific comic about fictional WriMos, is awesome! 

Some people have parties, and write-ins.  And if you win, there's a certificate, special offers from the sponsors, and if you like you can buy that year's one-of-a-kind-design winner's t-shirt (see last line of Reason 3).  Not to mention this little detail of having written a novel.


Well, it's late and I have novel-planning to do.  I apologize if I forgot anything, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Happy writing.

Kate

November is just around the corner so I thought I would take a few moments (or more) to talk about something that has become near and dear to me as a writer: National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo.  Lest anyone wonder, the pronunciation is NA-no, as in a nano-second, and RYE-mo, as in wri-ting and anyone called Mo.

A simple internet search will reveal a wealth of information and an even greater wealth of opinions about the event, some giddy and praise-filled, and some so scathing they could burn the rust off a car's bumper.  I'm hoping to provide a middle ground, battle some myths, and have some fun using spiffy statistics.  Of course that's a lot to cover so this is going to take more than one blog post.  Today I'm focusing on myths surrounding NaNo (the event)  and WriMos (the participants). 

Myth 1: NaNoWriMo is about writing a lot of crap.
This is a common misconception which I think is made by people who don't understand that giving yourself permission to write a less-than-perfect first draft is not the same thing as aiming for the gutter.  

Personally, I choose to write at least 50,000 words of workable fiction.  Is it perfect? By no means.  But it's also not total crap.  Requiring quantity does not preclude quality.

That said, first drafts are first drafts for a reason.  More than 99% of them have problems, and often major problems.  Stephen King says his first drafts suck, though he may not use that exact term to describe them.  In fact I believe his term is rather stronger than mine.  

The point of NaNo is not to write crap but to give yourself permission to suck, which you will anyway to start with, so that you can get the first draft written.  Once that's done, then you can start editing and turn a jagged, gritty, ugly first draft into a shining gem.  Or leave it as is, print it out, and use it as a doorstop.  The choice is yours.


Myth 2: You can literally write the word "eyeball" 50,000 times and win.
This is technically correct but I'm classifying as a myth because I don't believe very many people would go to the trouble of signing up, writing or copying one word 50,000 times (or two words 25,000 times), validating their "novel" and printing out their lovely winner's certificate to show off when they'd have to face this: "You wrote a novel?  Cool!  What's it about?"  Seriously, who would do that?  The level of "impressed" goes down a great deal when friends, relatives, co-workers, etc., find out you essentially cheated.  And how would they get out of that situation? Actually that could get interesting, and I'd probably want front row seats and popcorn. 

NaNo does work on the honor system.  Nobody checks your writing.  No one but you even sees it unless you choose to share it with someone.  And I think there is something admirable about trusting people to be on the up and up.

Yes I'm sure there are people out there somewhere who would do this, however, that is not NaNo's fault.  Those people are the ones who will cheat at anything.  It points to a flaw in them, not in the event. 

Small note: there are minor discrepancies between many word processing programs' word counts and the official NaNo word count, so technically they might have to write "eyeball' 50,147 times.


Myth 3: NaNo makes it sound like anybody can write a novel.
Newsflash: anybody CAN write a novel.  A novel is defined, not by industry standards mind you but by actual definition, as a work of prose at least 50,000 words in length.  That's it.  You don't need an MFA, or a background in journalism, you don't need a life of fascinating experiences.  There are no qualifications for being a writer other than simply to write.  Anybody who thinks otherwise needs to get off their low-horse and take a good look at the world.  NaNo is not a good place for snobs, that much is true.


Myth 4: NaNo makes people think they can write a book worthy of publishing in only a month.
If you think this you haven't been to the website.  Nowhere does it say you will have a finished final draft, just a first draft that it is then up to you to revise, edit, and otherwise polish.  Does the world of agents and publishers issue a collective sigh and rolling of the eyes each December? Possibly.  But really all NaNo contributes to that is volume.  Every month of the year sees new writers pitching first drafts.  The number may go up after November, but that's it.  This is not a new thing. 

But not everyone who writes a novel wants to publish one.  Some people don't write for compensation but for the sheer joy of writing.  I don't know whether they are rolling in dough, are true artists who are above such material concerns, or just have a lot of time on their hands, but that really doesn't matter.  We should all know by now that people are different.  We do not all think the same way.  We do not all want the same things.  


Myth 5: Nothing good has ever come out of NaNo, and by good I mean traditionally published.
I have twelve words for you: Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  These are only two of many published books that started as NaNoWriMo novels.  Not only were they traditionally published, they're both bestsellers!  And they are not alone.  There's a list.  Here's a link to it: Official List of Published NaNo Novels.  And here's another link: Goodreads list of Published NaNoWriMo Books.

Bonus Myth: No real author would participate in something like NaNoWriMo.
The reasoning for this one varies from the idea that "real" authors write a lot all year long, to just a general scorn for the event and by extension any one who would participate.  In refutation, please look back at my response to Myth 5.   I'm not going to name-drop but there are famous authors, other than those I've already mentioned, who participate in NaNo.  They may not make a big deal out of it, but they aren't looking down their noses at the event.


Also consider that there is more to NaNo than just the writing, though that is absolutely the main goal.  NaNoWriMo is a community where writers around the world can connect and commiserate on the trials and the joys of the craft.  Sure there are people who just write as a hobby, but hobbiests can be every bit as passionate about their hobbies as professionals in the same field are.  All writers share certain things: love of stories, frustration with characters, fear of plot holes, and much more.  NaNo brings us together and reminds those of us in an often solitary endeavor that we are not really alone.  


That's all I have to say for now.  I hope you've found some of this instructive, or at least entertaining.  Stay tuned for my next post in this special NaNo series as we hurtle toward November.

Kate

Well folks, I said when I hit 300 followers on Twitter I would be having a giveaway, and the time has come!  I'm sliding this post in between storms and hopefully will be able to post it before the end of the day.  :o)

I've been thinking about how this should work.  Should I give away eBooks?  Printed books?  Non-book items?  And then it hit me, why not do all three?

So I'm going to be to be choosing ten winners by random drawing (because I like randomness), all of whom will be getting books, two of whom will also be getting non-book prizes!  From the ten I will draw two more names for the Grand Prize winner, and a runner up.

Prizes!
Grand Prize - an autographed copy of your choice of either Bridging The Gaps or The DeFord Chronicles, Part I + a CD of original music I recorded many moons ago under a stage name.
Runner up - an autographed copy of either book + a unique hand-painted glass pin (floral design).
Remaining prizes - eBook copy in format of your choice of either book.

About the two books:  Bridging The Gaps is a contemporary novel about a family going through divorce and rebuilding their lives with humor and friendship.  The DeFord Chronicles, Part I is a historical novel set in a fictional country and inhabits a genre I like to call Medieval Soap Opera.  A fast-paced, fun story with swordfighting and treachery.  For more information regarding each book to assist you in deciding, see the Bookshelf page, the Exclusive Excerpt page, or check out the previews on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. 

Entries will close at 12:00 AM, Central Time, Monday October 7th.  To enter just leave a comment with your preference of book.  Best of luck to all.

Kate

P.S.  My Twitter followers will get a more than 24 hour head start on this giveaway as I will not post about it on Facebook or G+ until Friday evening.