I know we're starting a little early but I want all those new writers to learn about NaNo.
NaNoWriMo: The Contest
Coming this November will be one of the
most exciting contests I've ever entered. I'll be fighting against
someone that's hard-headed and hard to please. A person that thanks God
for the opportunity to write. A person that loves to write, and a person
that I know will fight to win when Nano pushes her to new heights and
new way's of thinking. I'll be competing with this person every minute
and that person is ME.
What is NaNo?
Win Prizes and Pride through NaNoWriMo
I've entered and won this contest in November many times. Each time in November, I have won a prize. Five years in a row, I won a free book for participating and winning the contest. Now, of course, there is no way for the good NaNoWriMo folks to know if you are cheating or not, but they hope that you won't. They also offer discounts on various kinds of writing software. We'll all just have to sign up to see what great goodies they are offering this year.
Words, Words, Words
It's not easy to write 50,000 words in a month, but it can be done. For me now it comes down to a contest against my last year's record. I try to get in one really good day with about 11,000 words, so if I have a bad day, I don't get so far behind. Last year I hit 11 and change in a 24 hour period. I was stoked.
I don't think I had ever written that many words in one day. I also don't know if I will ever beat that record or not, but you can bet that I will do my best when November comes around.
For those of you that have done Nano before you know that the only thing you can do towards getting ready for the contest writing wise, is to work on that outline. You can plan and think and outline, but you can not write one word not even that first line to this great new novel until midnight of November the first. I don't have my outline started yet. I'll once again be working on my Street Justice Series during this month so I'll need to do a little reading on the last novel and see where I left off.
Really 50,000 words in a month
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Writing 50,000 words in a months opened my mind to a new way of writing. It helped me learn to focus on
the creation of the story, and to put editing to the back burner. It
helped me to see that I can write under pressure. It taught me that some
of my best work comes when I'm working and writing under a timeline.
When I won and finished over 50,000 words in less than 30 days it gave
me a boost, and give me a great feeling of accomplishment.
Please
don't let the idea of failing stop you from trying to win Nano. Don't
keep yourself from the lessons that are waiting there to be learned.
It's fun, it's exciting, and at times it can be a little frustrating. I can't stress enough what a learning experience this is, so come on join in on the fun, and see if you can write 50k or more in a month.
Winning!
Winning is fun that is for sure, but even if you don't win, you can learn so much from being in this contest. You can meet some great people, learn that you can write a lot of words in one month, but most of all you learn to write write write.
I learned that I can write things that were not in my outline, that sometimes if do put myself out on that writing limb that the story line I created while out there will last and it is good. I suggest that every writer tries Nano at least once.
Winning is fun that is for sure, but even if you don't win, you can learn so much from being in this contest. You can meet some great people, learn that you can write a lot of words in one month, but most of all you learn to write write write.
I learned that I can write things that were not in my outline, that sometimes if do put myself out on that writing limb that the story line I created while out there will last and it is good. I suggest that every writer tries Nano at least once.
Still looking for more to read on Nano check my older nano post from previous years, some of the information will be repetitive some not.
Images thanks to
Annette Shaff
Javier Brosch
Edward Fielding
Ramona D'Viola
T.A. Byrne Samantha Fury Images
