Three Reasons To Participate In Nanowrimo
September 30th 2009 11:36
Today is the first day that I'm breaking scheduled posts, partially because my weekly newsletters did not have any markets worth displaying here (they were all non-fiction, and my focus here and with my own writing is fiction) and I was too lazy to research some. Partially because it's almost October, which means Nano season is fast approaching.
Nanowrimo-nanowrimo.org-is National Novel Writing Month, a challenge to people to write 50, 000 words in one month. You don't have to be a writer. You can be anyone; young or old, rich or poor, all you need is something to write with, something to write on and an internet connection to participate. It doesn't cost you anything, although they do ask for a small donation if you can manage it.
This November coming up will be my sixth Nanowrimo. I grew up with Nanowrimo and with the people who participate in it year after year. I've had amazing experiences participating in Nanowrimo over the years, both in terms of writing accomplishments and in terms of the people that I've met and the fun we've had. The first novel I ever wrote was a Nanowrimo novel.
So why should you participate in Nanowrimo? Well here are three great reasons, and while not all of them will necessarily apply to you, at least one of them probably does.
Here goes:
1. To Challenge Yourself maybe you've never written a novel before. Here's a chance to see if you can do it. You'll have people around on the forums to help you at any time that you need it, and to encourage you when you're having rough times. The focus is quantity, not quality, allowing you to focus on getting the story out and working its kinks out later. If you have written a novel before and haven't participated in Nanowrimo, you probably haven't written one so quickly; this challenge will encourage you to push your boundaries with writing speed and make you a quicker writer. Guaranteed.
2. To meet other, likeminded people not only will Nanowrimo give you a chance to meet hundreds of people online and make friends from every corner of the world who love writing just as much as you do, but dozens of regions also have groups that meet in the real world and hold events, such as beginning, middle and end parties and inspiring writing sessions. These people are from all walks of life, and have a wealth of knowledge to aid you in research for you writing; and they can have and share brilliant ideas and writing advice with you.
These people are the reason that Nanowrimo is such a great experience for me each and every year. They are so encouraging, so helpful, and at many different levels in their lives both in the arena of writing and outside of it. My regional group is like family to me.
3. To have fun! The most important thing about Nanowrimo is that you enjoy it. It may be a grueling pace of writing, but the sense of accomplishment at the end of each successful day makes up for all of that. Each and every member of Nanowrimo contributes to it in some way and makes it more enjoyable for every other participant.
During Nanowrimo you use your creative mind, but you are freed from the rules. You are in fact encouraged to stop worrying about spelling, grammar and plot holes. Things like this are to be edited later-or not, a decision which is entirely up to you. You are free to write whatever you like so long as you do not start before November first. It can be smut, it can be fanfiction, it can be anything.
And remember that even if you don't hit 50, 000 words this year, there's always next year-and you'll probably have written more than you would have otherwise.
I hope that several of you will be joining me in Nanowrimo this year. For the next few days I will be posting short snippets about Nanowrimo, including a post about my experiences with Nanowrimo over the year and a post which poses some questions for you to think about in preparation for the workshop. The workshop is expected to start on the 9th and be exactly three weeks or twenty-one days long.
Thanks for reading,
~Dianna/Litharukia
Nanowrimo-nanowrimo.org-is National Novel Writing Month, a challenge to people to write 50, 000 words in one month. You don't have to be a writer. You can be anyone; young or old, rich or poor, all you need is something to write with, something to write on and an internet connection to participate. It doesn't cost you anything, although they do ask for a small donation if you can manage it.
This November coming up will be my sixth Nanowrimo. I grew up with Nanowrimo and with the people who participate in it year after year. I've had amazing experiences participating in Nanowrimo over the years, both in terms of writing accomplishments and in terms of the people that I've met and the fun we've had. The first novel I ever wrote was a Nanowrimo novel.
So why should you participate in Nanowrimo? Well here are three great reasons, and while not all of them will necessarily apply to you, at least one of them probably does.
Here goes:
1. To Challenge Yourself maybe you've never written a novel before. Here's a chance to see if you can do it. You'll have people around on the forums to help you at any time that you need it, and to encourage you when you're having rough times. The focus is quantity, not quality, allowing you to focus on getting the story out and working its kinks out later. If you have written a novel before and haven't participated in Nanowrimo, you probably haven't written one so quickly; this challenge will encourage you to push your boundaries with writing speed and make you a quicker writer. Guaranteed.
2. To meet other, likeminded people not only will Nanowrimo give you a chance to meet hundreds of people online and make friends from every corner of the world who love writing just as much as you do, but dozens of regions also have groups that meet in the real world and hold events, such as beginning, middle and end parties and inspiring writing sessions. These people are from all walks of life, and have a wealth of knowledge to aid you in research for you writing; and they can have and share brilliant ideas and writing advice with you.
These people are the reason that Nanowrimo is such a great experience for me each and every year. They are so encouraging, so helpful, and at many different levels in their lives both in the arena of writing and outside of it. My regional group is like family to me.
3. To have fun! The most important thing about Nanowrimo is that you enjoy it. It may be a grueling pace of writing, but the sense of accomplishment at the end of each successful day makes up for all of that. Each and every member of Nanowrimo contributes to it in some way and makes it more enjoyable for every other participant.
During Nanowrimo you use your creative mind, but you are freed from the rules. You are in fact encouraged to stop worrying about spelling, grammar and plot holes. Things like this are to be edited later-or not, a decision which is entirely up to you. You are free to write whatever you like so long as you do not start before November first. It can be smut, it can be fanfiction, it can be anything.
And remember that even if you don't hit 50, 000 words this year, there's always next year-and you'll probably have written more than you would have otherwise.
I hope that several of you will be joining me in Nanowrimo this year. For the next few days I will be posting short snippets about Nanowrimo, including a post about my experiences with Nanowrimo over the year and a post which poses some questions for you to think about in preparation for the workshop. The workshop is expected to start on the 9th and be exactly three weeks or twenty-one days long.
Thanks for reading,
~Dianna/Litharukia
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