NaNoWriMo - how to get involved with a national writing movement

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a world-wide writing contest with no prizes, no judges and no entry fee—just a very crazy deadline. The goal? Write 50,000 words of a new novel during the month of November.

But wait. Doesn’t that outrageous word count make you sacrifice quality for quantity?

Yes. Exactly. And that’s the point. Something magical happens when you are forced to produce an average of 1,667 words per day. For one thing, you can’t possibly spend a week perfecting your first chapter and meet the deadline. Instead, for thirty glorious days beginning on November 1 and ending at 11:59 PM on November 30 you get to fire your internal editor and allow your imagination free reign. And, like so many Wrimos who have come before you, you too may learn to embrace and even rejoice over the true meaning of the words “rough draft.”

The only conditions are that you begin a new work of fiction (no resurrecting that old manuscript you put aside years ago) and you must write a novel—not a collection of short stories, poems, or memoir.

For more information and/or to signup for NaNoWriMo 2009 (go ahead, do it. You know you want to) log on to www.nanowrimo.org. When you signup, make sure to select Marin-Sonoma as your home region. This will allow you access to the online forum for our area where local NaNoWriMo events and write-ins will be listed.

Local kickoff event at the Central Branch of the Library, 3rd & E Streets, Santa Rosa, on Monday night, Oct. 26 from 6:00 -- 8:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served and questions will be answered (note the order of my priorities!)

Debbie Koehler

Municipal Liaison (ML) for NaNoWriMo, Sonoma County