And by this I mean I’ve entered myself as participating this year on the website, entering details of the novel I intend to write and also creating a local group thread on the forums (for any locals who happen to stumble across this, it’s the Central Coast thread on the Australia: Elsewhere forum). So now there’s no backing out of it (well, I mean, technically I could, but anybody who knows me knows I won’t).
The website has had a little refurbish too and has just been relaunched. It’s definitely worth checking out – it feels a lot easier to navigate around, with many of the parts of the site you want to access available on the home page once you log in.
For those of you who have no idea what the heck I’m talking about, basically NaNoWriMo is an event where hundreds of thousands of people all around the globe get together (figuratively speaking) in November and write a 50 000 word or more novel in 30 days. Sounds like something only a lunatic would do? Well, yes, it is, but it is something that lots of awesome lunatics all around the world do, and there is nothing like the thrill of getting a novel written at a speed like that (even if the end result tends to need drastic editing). I’ve participated the last 4 years and finished every year, although often with serious catching up sessions towards the end of the month. Most importantly though, it’s a fun time to hang out with other writers trying to work towards the same insane goal, both online and in that real life thing.
If you want more details, visit the NaNoWriMo website at nanowrimo.org to read all about it, sign up for it, and all that jazz. Then you can look into events in your area too, and really join in the fun!
Who else out there is attempting NaNoWriMo this year? Are you trying it for the first time, or are you a veteran at it?
Wanton Creation 
Wishing you well with your NaNoWriMo writing. 🙂
As for me, it will depend on the amount of research I can get done between now and then. The research is key to the next novel in my series and once I have the facts, I can plow ahead. A friend suggested a ‘murder board’, like on the TV series Castle, so I bought magnetic paint and whiteboard paint to convert the closet doors into a magnetic whiteboard, since I don’t have the wall space in my new office for a horizontal board. I will then have one half of the doors for Louis Riel’s timeline and the other for my character’s timeline/plot line with a magnetic section to attach notes here and there. Then I will be ready to get on with the actual act of writing! 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Oooh, that is so cool how you’re turning the closet doors into a whiteboard! I’d love to do that when I have my own house one day.
Good luck with your research, it’s always so time consuming I find! Mind I’m just downright silly and start writing when I’m nowhere near prepared enough for it. I’m hoping to be quite ready this year, but we’ll see 😛
It’s that time again already?! Good luck!
It is! It comes around far too fast! Mind, next time it comes around I’ll be living somewhere much colder and darker than Australia is in November…which will be kind of nice to write in such different weather.
Thinking about entering Nanowrimo for the first time myself! Any tips and tricks you can share?
Ooh really? Awesome, let me know if you do, I’ll add you as a writing buddy on the NaNoWriMo website then! 🙂
Ummm it really depends how you write. Out of the 4 times I’ve done it, I didn’t prepare at all twice, kind of prepared and planned the other two times. I must confess my two planned stories were much better, and this year I’ve been slowly tinkering with ideas for several months before I actually write in November, so hopefully I’ll go in swinging.
A lot of the tricks and tips they suggest on the site are really spot on. When you do it, forget about the delete and backspace buttons – you just want to keep moving forwards and switch off your inner editor, which can be very challenging at first. The trick is not even to allow yourself to read your story until December, because you’ll get annoyed with yourself. Generally the end result is a mixture of total rubbish but with some absolute gems, but a couple of my manuscripts were quite salvageable at the end, as there was some really good stuff (and sometimes forcing yourself to think up the story at such speed can produce some surprises even for you as the writer).
Ultimately, just give it a go and see it more as a challenge for fun. It’s a heck of a feeling at the end of the month if you make it, and even if you don’t make the 50K goal you’ve still probably written more than you would have, so it’s still worth it. 🙂
I joined Camp NaNoWriMo in April. It was tough, but amazing! I think I shall join this round. 🙂 Good luck!
Oh awesome! I’ve never made it to the Camp NaNos, but I’ve always wanted to give it a go.
Good luck to yourself if you give it a go this round! 🙂
I’m in!!
Ahh awesome, good to hear! 😀