It’s November, and we all know what that means! (No, not turkey and mashed potatoes.) It’s time to sit down and write your novel. (Go ahead and panic. There are thousands of other writers who feel like tearing their hair out right now, same as you. But given the excellent distraught company you will be keeping, why not?)
If you have participated in National November Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) before, you will know it is an exciting, grueling, rewarding, excruciating, and __________ (insert other contradictory adjectives here) event. Writers have exactly one month to compose a 50,000-word novel. Easy-peasy!
To participate in NaNoWriMo, writers first have to sign up. (Don’t worry, it’s free.) There are steps to follow: 1) Fill out your profile, 2) Give your novel a title, 3) Select your region, 4) Earn badges for completing milestones, and 5) Get inspired! The NaNoWriMo site has plenty of pep talks. There are also forums where writers can talk about outlining, character development, plot, and share their progress.
NaNoWriMo acknowledges that writing is a solitary pursuit, that writing a novel, in particular, is daunting, and that having company along the way can be both inspiring and provide the necessary motivation to get that novel you’ve wanted to write out of your head and into the light of day.
If you want to find out more about NaNoWriMo, go to their website HERE.
And if you decide that this is it! You will write your novel in November! Don’t be dismayed if you don’t finish it in one month. You’ve gotten off to a roaring start, and that’s what you needed all along.
Erica Verrillo has published five books. She blogs about the publishing world, posts useful tips on how to get an agent, lists agents who are looking for clients as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers, explains how to market and promote your work, how to build your online platform, how to get reviews, how to self-publish, and where to find markets for your work on Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.
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