November 1st - November 30th
You are destined to be a great writer; yet the reality of your everyday life keeps getting in the way. It happens. But, when do you plan on doing something about it? Y'know, that itch you've got to tell your story. Okay, so maybe you are not trying to pen the "Great American Novel"; but, perhaps you've got an itch for mystery writing, historical romance, fantasy, chick lit, or whatever. If you've never made the time, or you just lack the discipline - Stop looking at me! - then consider participating in NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month.
The first event happened in San Francisco in '99 and it’s spun into an international phenomenon. For the past eight years writers and aspiring writers from around the world have picked up their pens or become one with their keyboards for 30 straight days during the month of November. The idea is to pen a 50,000 word novel - you heard that right - during the month of November. Sounds insane, right? Yet there are thousands of devotees that participate every single year, quite a few of them right here in Northeast Ohio.
Lest you think this is some crew of unemployed hermits that hole up in November - because where would unemployed hermits go anyway? - it simply isn't true. Participants range from full-time workers with families (that they actually do like to spend time with), college students, pre-teens, stay-at-home moms, busy entrepreneurs...you name it. In fact, I chatted with the Municipal Liaison for Cleveland, Christine Huth Pyscher, known in the NaNoWriMo circle as Geology Girl.
I asked Geology Girl (a full-time, gainfully-employed professional from Cuyahoga Falls, thank you very much) what would prompt someone to do such a thing? Her story may sound familiar. She'd impressed people with her writing ability since she was quite young. She can't count the number of times she's heard, "You should write a book." Yet, she admits that she is a great procrastinator and could never quite get herself to commit to writing a book. Asking a chronic procrastinator to write a 175 page novel - okay novella - in 30 days would seem like asking a sugarholic to dole out the sugar cubes at a tea party: a recipe for disaster. Yet, Geology Girl has won (achieved the 50,000 word count threshold before midnight on November 30th) each of the four years that she's participated. Here's what she had to say:
Christine Huth Pyscher: The deadlines were a godsend. It gets rid of that internal editor. It's so freeing. For 30 days your focus is just to get it out on paper. When the month is over you can edit it all you want.
Cool Cleveland: Who should participate in NaNoWriMo?
CHP: This event was made for anybody who has ever thought, "I should write a novel." This is the way to do it. You get support from the worldwide NaNoWriMo community and here locally we meet regularly to support one another.
CC: There are quite a few Cleveland participants here. I’ve seen postings from Cleveland, Mentor, North Ridgeville, Sheffield Lake, Avon… What kind of support goes on during the month?
CHP: We are having our kick-off party on Sun 10/29 from 2 - 4PM at the Brooklyn Library (4480 Ridge Road). It's open to the public. We'll have snacks. Past participants will share their experiences and any pitfalls. New participants will get their questions answered. We even share our story ideas. Then we meet on Thursday evenings at the Panera at Tiedemann & 480 and on Saturdays at libraries throughout the area to accommodate our Eastsiders and Westsiders. We get a surprising amount of writing done during the two hours we get together to write. It's also very social. Then in December we’ll have a “Thank god it’s over!” party.
CC: What advice would you give to anyone who is considering doing this?
CHP: Give it a try. It's not in hitting 50,000 [words]. It's in doing it. It gives you such a sense of accomplishment. Some achieve their goals every year. Others participate year after year, even though they don't achieve the word count. Within our group we have all sorts of people. A teenager that has been doing it since she was 12. Professional men and women, college students. Just try it.
And so I will. This might turn out to be one of the smartest, or one of the dumbest things I've ever done - though there are already plenty of contenders in that category. Either way, I feel compelled to give it a try. What about you?
I'd give you quotes about "the life unlived" and "what could have been," but that can get so ugly. So, I'll just remind you that we are not getting any younger. That applies, by the way, whether you are 60-years-old or 60-months-old. Can't go wrong with that one. So, if you are truly ready to give it a go, or just ready for a bit of inspiration, visit http://www.NaNoWriMo.org and sign up. Then prepare to put pen to pad and go for the ride of your life. Just imagine the story you'll have to tell come December. If you are going for it; drop me a line at Roxanne@CoolCleveland.com. We can suffer together.
From Cool Cleveland Contributor Roxanne Ravenel
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