anyone here participating in this thing? i only just heard about it, and it seems like a really GREAT idea.
on November 1st you start, on November 30th it finishes, you have only 1 month. you ahve only this amount of time to write a 50,000 word novel.
they encourage you to write for QUANTITY NOT QUALITY. that means everyone is writing crap
, but they are writing none the less, which really not many people give themselves the excuse to do.i'll just quote them:
i think this is a great idea, since so many of us would love to write a novel or something, but are too much perfectionists to ever start. this forces you to write a novel, as crap as it will be in only 1 month, that's the point. the point is that you will have written it, you are forced to write all sorts of crap without thinking and editing, and oh boy it will be terribleWhat is NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over talent and craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and -- when the thing is done -- the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2003, we had about 25,000 participants. Over 3500 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
So, to recap:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.
Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from your novel at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: Sign-ups began October 1, 2004. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
.but it's like scribbling on a piece of paper. eventually, as strange as it seems, something WILL emerge outof it. writers block isn't an issue when what you are writing isn't even good enough to be considered "writing"
i'm not participating in it, i only just heard about it. but the idea is so cool i am thinking about just doing it myself just anytime.
