NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month. Here is a story I published last year in my local paper with slight adjustments to include some of this year's info.

My November Checklist:
1. Order a turkey
2. Visit Plymouth Plantation
3. Write a novel
4. Clean the baseboards

Wait. You mean you don’t have writing a novel on your list?

November, in addition to being a month where we celebrate family and eating large birds, is National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo). Back in July of 1999 a group of 21 individuals embarked on the first NaNoWriMo. Six of them crossed the finish line – writing a 175 page (50,000 word) novel in 30 days. In 2006, over 79,000 people took part in the annual non-profit literary mission. Almost 13,000 of them reached the goal. While the event stresses fun and creative exploration over publication, sixteen NaNoWriMo novelists have had their NaNo-novels published, including Sarah Gruen, author of New York Times #1 Best Seller, Water for Elephants>.

I’m sure you’re asking yourself, why on earth would anyone write a novel in thirty days and in November of all months? As we all learned from Issac Newton – objects in motion tend to stay in motion. You say you have one million things to do already? Perfect. Adding one more item to your list won’t seem all that daunting. Having other obligations forces you to carve out dedicated time to write. By setting aside specific hours to your novel you can finish it in one month. Do you commute? Try voice recognition software (writing and driving I don’t recommend). A SAHM? Wake-up earlier or stay-up later to get the novel done. Do your children have homework time? Guess what, you can too. Sit down at the table next to them and write. Writing 1,667 words at a time seems an impossible task? Break down your day into three 600 word sessions.

Are you a student? Good news. To reach the NaNoWriMo Young Writers goal you set your own word count. Have a favorite series? Think you can write another Lord of the Rings or Sweet Valley High? Prove it.

In 2006 I participated in my first NaNoWriMo. I started out strong. The first 14,000 words came easily; then, I hit a wall. My Great American Novel, an homage to road trips of the 1970’s, went from being a joy to being an albatross around my neck. After a fortnight of staring at a notepad, creating errands to run, and playing on-line scrabble the words finally started coming again. Even though I did not reach the 50,000 word mark I had a great time participating in NaNoWriMo and found a new respect for authors, words, and novels in general.


2007’s novel? A young adult novel in the vein of The Magic Treehouse series as well as Beast Quest and the Sister's Grimm. Two sisters are transported to different time periods. The difference - they were each literary characters and siblings. An example - one was Emily Dickinson and another her sister. One was Louisa May Alcott the other her sister. Etc. It was a good attempt - I think.

This year's novel? I'm going to work Aprons into the story. Perhaps the beginning will have a woman running out to the front lawn wringing her hands on an apron asking a neighbor, child, someone for help. "I need help. It's Herman." And then she'll start running back with whomever on the front lawn following her.


According to Chris Baty, NaNoWriMo founder, “The biggest thing separating people from their artistic ambitions is not lack of talent. It’s lack of a deadline.” There is no better deadline than writing 50,000 words in 720 hours. The only prize for winner’s---bragging rights.

Because writing 50,000 words is a great way to exercise your imagination. When writing quantity over quality you actually wind up with both. And really, what better excuse to get out of Thanksgiving clean-up than “Sorry, I’m writing a novel.”

If you are interested in taking part in a non-profit literary adventure visit the NaNoWriMo website, www.nanowrimo.org, where you can read more about the event as well as sign-up (it’s free). Become a November Novelist. At least be nice to the novelist’s you meet or else you may wind up in a novel.

Join Craft Corps!

Vickie Howell is working on another book and is looking for crafters to interview. Visit her blog for all the details including the Crafter Profilee Form. Hope to read about someone I know in there!
Deadline to send her an e-mail: August 15

Cupcakes on the counter...stories of our families

Another opportunity posted at the Creative Writing Opportunities Yahoo! Group I belong to.

RaeAnn Proost, Author of SORRY LITTLE SUPPER, THE STOVE AND STORIES OF A SWEDISH GRANDMOTHER and PEPPER IN HER POCKET, THE STOVE AND STORIES OF A COUNTRY GRANDMOTHER wants submissions for her next book:

“If you don’t, who will?” is the question I ask at my book signings. If you don’t take responsibility for writing and sharing your family stories, who will? Genealogy studies and time lines are important in the process of capturing our histories, but names, places, and dates can be dull reading. Preservation of events and impressions may be lost along the way. Remembered sights, sounds, touches, and aromas tell the stories. These are the facets of the imperfect crystals of our lives. I propose to give back and offer encouragement to new authors, inviting them to share family memories and a recipe. CUPCAKES ON THE COUNTER, THE STOVES AND STORIES OF OUR FAMILIES is to be a collection published in 2009. Please copy your story (500-1500 words) and recipe to an email (no attachments, please) and send to me before December 31, 2008, at

sorrylittlesupper( at)bendbroadband .com (replace (at) with @). In the event your story and recipe become part of the final publication, you will receive an honorarium.

Traveling Mamas Anthology

I belong to a Yahoo! Group that sends out Creative Writing Opportunities. The one for Traveling Mamas Anthology sounds like it could be a lot of fun to write as well as to read.

Traveling Mamas Anthology
TravelingMamas. com is in search of true uplifting, funny, inspirational, and touching stories with a travel theme for an upcoming anthology series. Possible themes may include family travel, romantic escapes, girlfriend getaways, and solo trips.

We’re looking for stories that inspire us, force us to laugh out loud or make us reach for the tissue box. Bring us into your story by using the five senses. Every story must have a beginning, middle, and end.

Rights:
We are requesting one-time rights. Reprints are acceptable as long as you own the rights. If your work has been published before we ask that you please send the name of the publication the story appeared and the date it was published with your submission. We will have the right to edit your work.

Submission:
Word count: 300-1000 words.
More than one story may be submitted.
The story can be told in first or third person.
You don’t have to be a mom to tell the story.
Deadline is midnight September 1, 2008.
In the body of your email please include your
name, address, phone number, and preferred email
address. At the bottom of your story please
include a brief author bio (no more than 100
words) to be included in the back of the book. If
your story is chosen you will be able to revise
your bio before publication.

Please send your submissions in the body of an email to anthology(at)travelingmamas.com

(replace (at) with @)

(no attachments will be opened).

Compensation:

$50 (Payment upon publication)
A Traveling Mamas travel pack that includes one copy of the book your story appears in. Please be patient. This is a long process. We will let you know as soon we know if your story has been selected. If you don’t hear from us, we may be holding your story for upcoming books.

Thank you for joining our journey. We look forward to reading your stories.