Reader,
Have you heard of NaNoWriMo yet? National Novel Writing Month is a crazy writing event in which the goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. The official rules call for this novel to be a new creation, and it is encouraged to write a beginning and end to the novel within the 50,000 words. You are considered a 'winner' for hitting 50,000 within the month, but it is also encouraged to go above and beyond the call of duty if so inspired. Thousands of people world wide participate towards the same goal, making it all the more exciting.
Why does this matter? Many people opposed to NaNoWriMo have claimed it does not encourage quality writing. I beg to differ. Firstly, it is a trade give in that first drafts are pretty much dribble anyways. There has to be something salvageable to make it to a final draft, however the first draft is all about getting the story out, however you can. Most people who participate in NaNo have no false hopes of seeing their NaNo Novel in print until extensive revision and rewrites.
Secondly it helps teach many things key to becoming a good writer. It teaches you to find moments in each day to write (or reminds you of why you should write daily instead of letting the work pile up). It teaches you to write towards a deadline. It reminds you that it's okay for your first draft to be less than perfect, by giving you that deadline. It can show you that having a writing group makes writing more enjoyable. And besides, practice makes perfect (or at least makes better than before) regardless of whether the novel is salvageable or not.
This year I hope to be the official Municipal Liaison here, meaning that I will be the one helping get local meetings going for the region and be their cheerleader. Also I'm planning on shooting from the hip this year, only creating one character in the week previous to NaNo, and at midnight Halloween creating a list of 30 random scenes to write a novel. Why? Because I want to see what will happen.
National Novel Writing Month starts at midnight on November first and goes all the way 'til 11:59 November 31st. I encourage you all to try it, and not just try it solo, but also go to some of the NaNoWriMo events in your areas. As daunting a task as it can seem, it helps to meet fellow participants who are in the same boat as you.
Had you heard of NaNo before? Have you participated?
Any questions and/or comments are welcome and appreciated.
Until next time,
Rose
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment