Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Now is your chance!
Have you ever vaguely dreamed about writing a novel? Wouldn’t it be great to causually refer to “my novel” at the dinner table, on a first date, or on the subway (loud enough, of course, so that onlookers could overhear and be awed?)
Well, now is your chance. November is National Novel Writing Month. An internet writing experience that has skyrockted in popularity since its inception in 1999, when organizer Chris Baty challenged 21 participants to write 50,000 words (175 pages) of prose in one month. Last year, over 100,000 people participated.
How is such a feat accomplished? Well, it’s very simple. The goal is to write with abandon – no editing required. The word count is all – no one will ever read your book, unless you want them to.
What’s the point? Well, the point is to produce. Sure, you might produce 50, 000 words of pure drivel, but it’s 50,000 words more than you would have produced this November, right? And I guarantee you, if you write 50,00o words, there will be some really excellent phrases, paragraphs, and even pages of material in there. You may discard the book on Decmeber 1 and never want to look at it again, but on December 1 you will find it much easier to write than you did on November 1. Writing is like flexing a muscle – the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
If it sounds intruiging, you should definitely check out their website at www.nanowrimo.org, particularly their hilarious FAQ page. If you like, you can sign up as a participant and have your progress tracked on their website (again, no one will read it unless you want them to.) You will also find plenty of forums to give you inspiration and ideas.
AND, if novel-writing isn’t your bag then perhaps you would rather participate in Script Frenzy, which is a challenge to all budding screenwriters to write a 100-page screenplay in April, 2010!
The Writing Challenge: Write a novel in November!!!! If you are in one of my classes and you successfully complete this mission then I will throw you a huge party in class. HUGE.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
this looks awesome!