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It’s almost NaNoWriMo time!
Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.
Nov. 1 is the start of National Novel Writing Month! This event features hundreds of thousands of people from all around the world attempting to write 50,000 word novels in just 30 days. Everybody writes their own novels, but there is plenty of shared moral support, angst, and diversions at http://nanowrimo.com where you can sign up to join the fun.
In 2015, 489,028 people participated, and 40,426 crossed the magic threshold of 50,000 words. Writers came from six continents, wrote in hundreds of different languages, and developed stories in every conceivable genre. The event is sponsored by the Office of Letters and Light, a non-profit started by Chris Baty in San Francisco, California, which has been hosting the event for more than a decade.
Students also get to have fun, and many teachers have figured out that the Young Writers Program, also sponsored by the Office of Letters and Light, helps improve literacy and writing skills in startling ways. In 2015, the YWP sent out 2,000 classroom kits to teachers around the world at no cost. A total of 80,137 students and teachers participated in the 2015 YWP, and nearly 20,000 reached their goals.
After you signup, it’s also good to join a “region” on the website (ours is “Elsewhere: Micronesia”) where you can get information about local write-ins and other relevant local writerly news. There’s also a ChaNoWriMo chat group on Facebook, for those who want to write their stories in Chamorro.
People love stories. Now you can tell yours and help create your vision, one word at a time, in a novel.
It’s happening here. It’s surprisingly fun! And it’s free. (PR)
