For a lot of aspiring and seasoned writers, the month of November brings NaNoWriMo.
NaNoWriMo-- short for National Novel Writing Month-- is a worldwide challenge to writers to sit down and write enough every day to have a 50,000 word book, by the end of November. That's 1,667 words a day.
It's time to get writing!
Started in 1999, the event has become a pretty big deal, with hundreds of thousands of participants each year. I have already seen quite a few posts about this year's event here on Steemit, and the #nanowrimo tag gets used quite a bit. This is a link to the current Steemit feed for NaNoWriMo.
Although I have tried to complete the challenge several times, I somewhat shamefully have to confess that I have not actually finished.
My boilerplate "excuse" has generally been that I am not a fiction writer, and this is a novel writing challenge.
Of course, it's a bit of a lame excuse because for a couple of years I made up my own "rule" to allow myself to participate with non-fiction entries. I didn't manage to complete that modified version of the challenge, either.
I may simply be "allergic" to deadlines and structured "required" writing!
My wife ( @cosmictriage ) is trying NaNoWriMo this year, and I feel hopeful that she will be successful-- she's a pretty accomplished writer.
A good place to site and contemplate your ideas...
Although I am not a participant this year, I am once again creating my own "mini challenge," this time here on Steemit: I'm going to keep a record of all my posts during November, and treat the "write something every day" and "50,000 words by the end of November" parts of the challenge intact.
I know it's not "the real deal," but at least I can use the challenge as a point of inspiration for my writing... which has been a bit lacking, as of late. I need to get going again... and I often feel inspired when a large group of people are working towards a common goal.
And while doing this, I'd like to invite any Steemit writers to create and keep up with their own challenge during November... copy what I'm doing, or make up your own rules.
We're only at November 4th... so there's miles and miles to go (and catch up, if you need to!).
Remember, this is a challenge, not a contest! There's no "finishing first" or "writing the most" involved here. Just create and have fun!
How About YOU? Are you a writer? Have you ever written a novel, or a book of any kind? Have you ever heard of "NanNoWriMo?" Have you ever participated in the challenge? If so, how did it go? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 171104 14:05 PDT
Yes, Ok, @denmarkguy, you are right, "Its time to get writing."
But first I would like to say that I have participated in NaNoWriMo for the previous three years in a row, skipping last year. And when this November came in I adamantly said, I don't want to even mention NaNoWriMo, as I thought of all the attempts in the past where I failed miserably. And then I saw your post (this post) yesterday as I was browsing Steemit. So I have decided to try it again this year(on Steemit only) I like the idea of doing my own version of NaNoWrimo, I will not be attempting a 50,000 words fiction novel. But I have decided to do instead 50 posts that are flash/fiction(2 post a day) -poetry/prose. I will write the shortest of the short literature in either poetry or prose with the subject of each post being a character or a place, Just to give myself some wiggle room. This will be my 'Write something everyday mini challenge for NaNoWriMo, so please stop by and let me know what you think I will be starting in a couple of hours. I will be following you as well with my comments an upvotes. Thanks for the inspiration @denmarkguy. #NaNoWriMo!!!
That sounds like a good approach @rensoul, I will check out your page in a while!
I put this out there just as a general "community challenge" as there are lots of very good writers here on Steemit who don't necessarily want to write novels, or don't necessarily want to have a very structured system... but with that said, this community does offer a really good framework for tracking your own progress in a "public" sense. All the best to you!
I am participating in NaNoWriMo for the sixth time this year. I finished all the previous years and last year I even finished my whole novel which came to about 103k words. This year I won't be that crazy as I am busy with my blog as well, so I am shooting for 50k. I can write about 2k an hour and I have detailed outline, so it should be all right. Having said that, I am already behind.
Have fun with your own challenge, it's always good to keep writing, whether as part of NaNoWriMo or not.
The most challenging part for me was always to sit down and do something every day. For one thing, I don't really have a schedule that lends itself to "every day;" I tend to go more in sits and starts. On a good day, I can easily turn out 10K words of decent enough prose... but then I might draw a blank for several days. When I get in the groove, I tend to GO... but then I grand to a halt and find it hard to get started again.
Good for you for completing all six years you've tried... that's impressive!
Thank you :-). I find NaNoWriMo helpful to hash out my first draft, but afterwards I always struggle with editing and querying. I am hoping to self publish this year's NaNoWriMo novel, will try to find and editor who can help me polish it.
very cool post -
I am not a writer - period - until I found steemit. (and certainly not fiction writing since schooldays).
I have dabbled writing some fiction since being here, and really enjoy it - and have so many ideas.
BUT - (no pun intended) - I just run out of steam.
While I'm 'in the groove', out it pours. BUT when I come out of the groove, I find it impossible to get back into the same groove (the same story).
I'm not even in the crawling stage of my fictional writing, so it's cool.
Maybe it's just a time thing...?
Running out of steam is usually what has kept me from being much of a fiction writer... I have a story idea, I take it and run with it... and then lose interest.
Most of the time, it's because I get sidetracked after a little while and take off on a "side story" after a little while. And then I can never go back an pick up the original trail where I left off.
Some of it is probably because I am really ADHD... hence the "short form" format of Steemit really suits me.
I have published one novel, and am working on a second, as well as a philosophy type book. I tried NaNo for the first time last year and didn't get very far. My energy and focus just doesn't work that way. It is not sustainable for me. My published novel took just over a year for the first draft, and then more time for editing and cover making and formatting and whatnot.
It hasn't worked for me either... but as I said, I am not really a fiction person. Mostly, I keep tweaking the format to use the challenge as a way to become a more steady writer, not a sporadic one. In a sense, simply being on Steemit and blogging regularly has been really good for me.
But congrats on actually finishing a book!
Thanks! :) It's the thing I am most proud of.
I have written a science fiction and action "novel", "book" or "history", which I have called "Chamos Heroes". Unfortunately, it is in Spanish and I have not been able to publish it or translate it into English for the obvious monetary reasons of what happens in my country Venezuela. If the challenge is done in Spanish, I am sure that I could compete and I would achieve it.
Congratulations on writing a book!
I can appreciate things being difficult for a writer in Venezuela... I presume even with it Internet and email it is still difficult to work with possible publishers in other Spanish speaking countries? I know there was a NaNoWriMo group for Spain, but I have not come across one for any South American countries.
Hello @denmarkguy!
I've never heard of NaNoWriMo, but this is a huge motivator, since writing is fun! Almost 2k words a day, to make a novel in a month? I will unfortunately not be aiming for that, but will keep my article length in mind a little more. Also this shows me what needs to happen to write a novel!
I self published a comic book at 17, but that's about it. Fiction is a weak point of mine, but maybe this is an area I should work on!
Pretty cool,
♡ @shello
Fiction was always a weak point for me as well @shello... hence I have tried to modify these challenges over the years. Mostly, I am trying to stay motivated... as of late, my enthusiasm for writing has been waning, and I really want to keep on a steady routine... as much as anything, I wrote this post to "put the idea out there," so I would have to follow it, myself!
Good afternoon @denmarkguy,
Self reminders for inspiration! I love that concept. I must remember that when things become difficult, is also the best time to push forward! As far as steady and consistent goes, I am still on that conquest myself. Less achieving greatness, and more building a strong foundation.
Mahalo,
@shello
Ok. With mil coming in just a few days and the normal life of two toddlers, I'm gonna keep my goal, um, realistic. I'm actually gonna post every day for the rest of the month. I can do that, right?
Hey, I say make your own rules... the point of the whole challenge (as I understand it) was simply to get people "in the habit of writing," on a regular basis.
So glad you commented. I almost forgot. Already 😂
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nice this pic!!
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