Nanowrimo is coming!

A reminder that NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth (NANOWRIMO) starts on November 1.  The goal for Nanowrimo is to encourage people to write.  The goal for adults is 50,000 words in November.

From the website:

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 painstaking 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.

My bolding - my son is looking over my shoulder and loves the letter 'z'.  He is probably too young, but there is a young writers section.  Adults are expected to write 50,000 words in the month of November, but young writers can set their own word count goals.

1) Sign up for the event, and be sure to register as a "Young Writer."

2) Click on "My NaNoWriMo" and you'll see three edit options on the left-hand menu bar. Use each one to tell us about your writerly self. Add a photo and exciting info about you and your book-to-be. [I don't want to be a worry-troll; but be cautious with your personal info.]

3) Starting October 1, you can set your word-count goal! This is really important. You can do this by going to "My NaNoWriMo" and then "Edit Novel Info" located on the left-hand menu bar.

4) Set your time zone. This is just as important as setting your word-count goal. You can do this by going to "My NaNoWriMo," then to "Edit Profile Settings." If you don't know what your time zone is, ask your parent or teacher.

5) Use our Resources for Young Writers. This is where you’ll find news, updates, pep talks, and helpful links.

The various brainstorming exercises I have described and read about all describe the creative process as starting with an outpouring of ideas.  Corrections and cuts come later.  I suppose after the month is through, you can start quality control.  I like P.G. Wodehouse's method of revision.  He apparently wrote on loose pages, then tacked them to a wall -starting low on the wall.  After he corrected or proofed a page, he placed it higher on the wall. When all the pages were at a certain height, he was ready to go public.  I don't think I have room for more a very short story in my apartment.

But the corrections come later.  Get the quantity in, then worry about quality.

One local dedicated nanowrimo writer is Charles of Liminality.  I could only find a link to one of his entries, but I think he has entered a few times.  At one time, if I recall correctly, he wrote his novel, blogged about it and offered assistance to other writers.

Sean of Repatriate Me - here is your challenge - and mine, too!

At the nanowrimo website - linked at the top - you can set up an account.