NaNoWriMo U of A - Q&A
NaNoWriMo U of A? What's that?
It's short for National Novel Writing Month, University of Alberta edition. NaNoWriMo is an annual event in November in which participants attempt to write a fifty thousand word novel (each) in a month. In 2006, a few of us at the University of Alberta decided that we wanted to do this, but that November was pretty inconvenient for students. Accordingly, we conducted it in May (and did so again in 2007 and 2008). This year (i.e. 2009), we're going with June.
But I have nothing to do with the University of Alberta.
That's okay; we've had participants who weren't even in Canada. The name's retained more or less as a historical artifact.
Is it really possible to write an entire novel in a month?
Yes. By my count, the three NaNoWriMo U of As have producedtwelve eleven completed novels by ten different novellists. And before you ask, several of these novellists were working full-time jobs (in at least one case, more than one job).
Are the novels any good?
Oh my, no.
What do I get if I succeed?
You get to tell everybody that you've written a novel (note that, according to NaNoWriMo's official rules, you must refer to your completed novel as "My most recent novel").
Is this a competition?
Only against yourself. If you write fifty thousand words, you win. If not, not.
This sounds stupid...
Yes.
...and yet I would like to know more.
The best thing to do would be to get hold of a copy of the official NaNoWriMo guide, Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem!, which can be purchased from Amazon using the link on the sidebar (or from another bookseller if you think Amazon is homophobic). You could also check out the official NaNoWriMo site, also linked on the sidebar.
You can also check out this blog's archives. Here are some especially useful posts:
Excerpts from above-named official guide, posted in flagrant violation of copyright laws (though morally justified in my mind given the repeated flogging of the book that I do)
Turning Close Friends into Obligations
The Magna Cartas
Advice from previous NaNoWriMo U of A winners
Steve Smith
Daniel Kaszor
Jake Troughton
Chris Samuel
Amanda Henry
Okay, I'm in. What now?
First, notify me by e-mail (sarcasticidealist at gmail dot com - have spammers really not developed bots that recognize that form of writing an e-mail address?) that you're in. Then, on June 1, start writing a damned novel.
It's short for National Novel Writing Month, University of Alberta edition. NaNoWriMo is an annual event in November in which participants attempt to write a fifty thousand word novel (each) in a month. In 2006, a few of us at the University of Alberta decided that we wanted to do this, but that November was pretty inconvenient for students. Accordingly, we conducted it in May (and did so again in 2007 and 2008). This year (i.e. 2009), we're going with June.
But I have nothing to do with the University of Alberta.
That's okay; we've had participants who weren't even in Canada. The name's retained more or less as a historical artifact.
Is it really possible to write an entire novel in a month?
Yes. By my count, the three NaNoWriMo U of As have produced
Are the novels any good?
Oh my, no.
What do I get if I succeed?
You get to tell everybody that you've written a novel (note that, according to NaNoWriMo's official rules, you must refer to your completed novel as "My most recent novel").
Is this a competition?
Only against yourself. If you write fifty thousand words, you win. If not, not.
This sounds stupid...
Yes.
...and yet I would like to know more.
The best thing to do would be to get hold of a copy of the official NaNoWriMo guide, Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem!, which can be purchased from Amazon using the link on the sidebar (or from another bookseller if you think Amazon is homophobic). You could also check out the official NaNoWriMo site, also linked on the sidebar.
You can also check out this blog's archives. Here are some especially useful posts:
Excerpts from above-named official guide, posted in flagrant violation of copyright laws (though morally justified in my mind given the repeated flogging of the book that I do)
Turning Close Friends into Obligations
The Magna Cartas
Advice from previous NaNoWriMo U of A winners
Steve Smith
Daniel Kaszor
Jake Troughton
Chris Samuel
Amanda Henry
Okay, I'm in. What now?
First, notify me by e-mail (sarcasticidealist at gmail dot com - have spammers really not developed bots that recognize that form of writing an e-mail address?) that you're in. Then, on June 1, start writing a damned novel.
posted by "Steve Smith" at 5:45 PM
5 Comments:
Is this going to be like the last two years with everyone wheezing out after ten days? I'm really not up for that again. It's just not fun when nobody is sharing in your misery.
I'm more in than I have been since 2006, for whatever that's worth. Jake's talking a pretty good fight too.
Most people will certainly wheeze out after ten days, but a few of us will go the distance. And then, next year, we'll fight Apollo again. And in three years Apollo will be killed by a Russian. Best not to talk about what will happen in four years.
And then, in thirty years, you'll go the distance again.
I'm determined this year, far more so than in previous years. I've even brought the 'No Plot?..' book. That's a whole £7 investment, that could prove usefully guilt-inducing.
Here is a video I found very inspiring with regard to NaNoWriMo. You might find it encouraging.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCTO91aBFXk
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