NaNoWriMo 2009
It’s a week to the first of November, and the writing world buzzes…NaNoWriMo…
In case you are new to this code word of aspiring novelists, the NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, observed or rather celebrated from November 1st to 30th. Its thirty days of literary abandon or a literary crusade not just in the U.S where it all began, but all over the world.
Chris Baty started it in 1999 in SF Bay Area with just 21 writers. In the second year the numbers rose to 140; a whopping 5000 participated in the third year and then there has been no looking back. You can find the whole stuff on the web.
The goal is to ‘write a 175 page (50,000 worded) novel in a month. Close your door, turn off the calling bell, shut down your internet connection, and don’t answer your phone, put on the answering machine. Now, write when you want, where you want, what you want; it isn’t about quality but quantity.
You may be writing crap, but you ARE writing, which is what matters. And you have lots of company in the other participants of NaNoWriMo; this year they have counted upto 71000+ writers participating when I pen this. You can just chat up someone or post on the forum and ask a NaNoWriMo buddy, hey I have done X pages today, how about you?
Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the support mechanisms. The Forums at the NaNoWriMo site are an excellent support factor when you get stuck or when you think your plot is all bungled up. Check out the genre lounges, groups based on age, Out of the Box people, and general topics which spurn you on to reach the victory stand; in general your life during NaNoWriMo. I hope at least some of you will take this as a challenge and write out that novel that has been begging to be put down on paper.
Talking about writing a novel in 30 days brings a little something to my mind, a bit of a gossip. I agree writing, say, a 175 page novel may be just possible if you just want to write crap. But I hear of a Indian writer who got published after writing her novel in 30 days flat. And that too by a leading publisher. This writer considers her feat as a sort of fast-writing record, I wonder if she has heard of the word editing? The novel she did publish shows a lack of polish, and now I know why, after reading her interview on the topic… it hasn’t been polished, it hasn’t been edited…
But I did see some people who had been writing a novel for several years before they could show it to the reader. And the effort shows. Marilynn Robinson, winner of the Orange Prize this year for her Home-coming is such a writer. She has brought out only 3 novels in all of two decades. And all three of them have been acclaimed.
Her first novel was ‘House keeping’ published in 1980 won a Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for best first novel and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Her second novel, Gilead was acclaimed by critics and received the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the 2004National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, and the 2005 Ambassador Book Award. Her third novel, Home, published in 2008, was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, and won the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction.
But all said and done I am sure a 30 day novel could be the germ of or skeleton of a great piece after some years of rewrite and polishing.
I forgot to tell you, you can tweet about your NaNoWriMo this year, and so does that make it twitterature and you a twitterati?
Never heard of "NanoWriMo", this weird soundin name. But yea, it's a good concept. However, I do agree with you that one needs to take it as just the beginning. Lots of hard work, editing, revising, etc. are needed. (Unless of course one is a genius or has connections!)
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True,I agree wholly especially with the last phrase..
Thanks for reading.
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Interesting, I didn't know about this. I doubt if I could survive the challenge... maybe I'll try it in a year where I'm relatively free.
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Irene
I strongly reccomend you try, maybe half an hour every morning... see like a marathon, your participation is what matters, not if you finished it...and it's high time we saw a novel from you, I would think it an honour if this post prompted you to find time to start on it.
All the best from a fellow NaNoWriMoian
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from "talking about writing.." to the end- I read that part thrice.
I liked it.
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Nadi,
bless you
Marylinne Robinson is an awesome author, you have to read her to know how awesome...I got a copy of her latest book recently, and will definitely review it somewhere... its so good...
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Interesting! Had never heard about this until you wrote about it!
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Beyniaz,
Yes, it's inspiring and sometimes we need that compulsion factor to make us write...it helps a lot, believe me...
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Hi Suneetha
I have been participating in NaNoWriMo for the last two years. I think its a great discipline and although I have never managed to complete 50,000 words a long story or novella has emerged. In fact Dikshita's secrets was a result of such an effort and this august forum did publish it in the Perspective series.
Secondly I enjoy the pep talk e-mails that are sent out periodically to encourage the participants.
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Firstly, congratulations on your new column. I am sure this column will definitely have your good stuff.
As for this NaNoWriMo thing is concerned, as long as all of us amateur or professional writers can put in a some time everyday just to write anything under the sun, I am sure it will do us a great deal of good)both, professionally and emotionally).
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Enjoyed the information in the article.I know about NaNoWriMo but didn't dare attempt it. Will try to find Marylinne Robinson's books to read.
Eva
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A very informative article.Like everything else these days,even novel-writing is a quickie affair,eh? But as you mentioned,quality might be the casualty.Anyway,not my cup of tea (as yet)
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Me too, never heard of this. Guess you are right. Its near impossible to write a novel in a month. Will never try it myself.
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Congrats! this is very informative especially for those keen to jumpstart a novel.
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Nanowrimo has been around for a while and I know writers who have actually polished their efforts into novels which finally got published. It's a great way to instill discipline, to motivate yourself and other writers to write, write and write. Thanks for sharing this, Suneetha
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Nanowrimo was extremely popular awhile ago that it still is ,is saying alot for the success of a new 'novel' concept....but abs'time consuming it probably will not leave you time to do anything else right suneetha?
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I always love this time of the year when one part of me is saying I have a million other things to do, but the other part, slowly yet surely, eggs me into the NaNoWriMo madness.
I took part in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and managed the goal--it was crazy work, but crossing the end-line gave me a real high. One of them is now polished and published.
Ah, well...now to start thinking of the genre and type of story for this year...of course, there is still time...
See ya there, Suneetha! Have you joined the regional forum yet?
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Great idea! and even though many won't get to complete the novel in a month, it may instill the discipline in writing ... and most important, regular writing.
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wow, had never heard of this tongue twister, suneetha
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Suneetha,first congratulations on your new coloumn.
NaNoWriMo is of course a good challenge. One can take an attempt, but the time is so short. Some of my friends have taken part in this writing challenge earlier...some have completed and some others couldn't make it. Once I also thought about it too but could not give it a start.
Good topic to start with.
Gouri
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A lot many thanks for this informative piece. tis really awesome - NaNoWriMo. Tho d name sounds tricky, t seems to b one the best endeavours n recent times that i have heard of.
N about that writer-in-thirty days - sans editing, hope we don't have to hear more from the 'Best-seller'!
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Sounds very interesting! I want to join but I'm already late by nine days. May be next year, I'll try. Thanks for sharing!
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