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November is national novel-writing month
Saipan writers encouraged to join NaNoWrimo
November is National Novel-Writing Month. It’s a great opportunity to join the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who will dedicate themselves this November to writing a novel. You can join at NaNoWriMo.org.
What started as a “dumb idea” in 1999 has proven to be a successful method for “wannabe writers.” Chris Baty, a San Francisco native, decided that what he needed to write a novel was a deadline. So he promised everyone he knew that he would write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, and he got some of his friends to join him in the endeavor. Since then, each year, more and more writers have joined the movement. And more and more books get written.
One of the more successful books that started as NaNoWriMo draft is Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, that was later made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. Other published novels that started as NaNoWriMo novels include The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Wool by Hugh Howey, and NYT bestseller The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough. Each of three books in a young adult series—Cinder and Scarlet and Crees—by Marissa Meyer were also written in first draft form during NaNoWriMo.
The goal of NaNoWriMo is quantity of words—50,000 in 30 days, and surprisingly this provides the freedom of lowered expectations and helps in the writing process to produce quality as well as quantity.
Join NaNoWrimo online and sign up for the regional lounge—Saipan novelists would join “Elsewhere: Micronesia.” There is no age limit (but novelists 13 and younger sign up at the Young Writers Program) and there are no fees. Look for announcements of write-ins during the month where you can get inspired by creating and joining the writing community on Saipan. There’s no better time to write your novel than now! (PR)
