ramblings from the edge

Write-Off Progress 2006 November 1, 2006

Never knew writing parties could be so much fun!

I’d love to do a word-count write-off between my son and I, but the youth program’s on a different server – I’ll see what we can wrangle out of NaNo HQ

Also, seriously stoked – after informing bookstore #7 that they really oughta stock up on these little puppies in October each year, I managed to track down the last copy of No Plot? No Problem! in Sydney! (That’s the guide to the crazy month-long novelling adventure written by the NaNoWriMo founder himself, Chris Baty – and he just launched a novel-writing kit for 2006)

5 Days to NaNoWriMo October 26, 2006

It’s nearly November! Halloween is the day before fiction time!

This is my 3rd NaNoWriMo, and I’m so excited coz my son’s decided to join in the shenanigans this year. He’s more organised than I am – got his chapter titles and outlines done already! I tend to go with the no-plot-no-problem theory.

The aim of the game is to write a 50,000 word novel during the 30 days of November (even if they’re 50,000 bad words). It started in 1999 with 21 people, and this year is looking like 75,000 will be writing feverishly all month. This is such a fun way to start a powerful ritual and relationship with your unconscious mind. I encourage everyone to do it, especially non-writers or people who think they have very little to say. Just the commitment of writing 1,500 words a day starts so many valuable habits.

• NaNoWriMo gets that inner editor/critic out of the way and you just let things pour out fast and furious – this helps with any kind of writing or speaking your mind or meeting deadlines, totally engages your unconscious mind in the process
• even if the first stuff you write is complete dribble, if you keep going it gets better, so by the end of the month you rock! (at least more than you used to!)
• NaNoWriMo makes you better at managing time – usually you have a life to fit this around, so you might get up an hour earlier, or write at lunch time – and after November you can dedicated that well-defined timeslot to some other meaningful project, like exercising, or reading, or playing and instrument, or building that ship in a bottle you’ve always been dreaming of
• NaNoWriMo engages kids in meaningful fun. Last year over 100 schools participated with entire classes as young as grade 3 writing every day. This year they’ve launched the Official NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. My son and I already alternate bedtime stories – sometimes we’ll read one, other times we’ll write one
• Even though it’s totally free, they still raise bucketloads for brilliant charities each year – the 2006 target is $200,000
• It’s a cool forum to make new friends – online and off
• And at the very least you’ll have a novel (or part of one) to give everyone for xmas!

If you come join in the fun, let us know. I’m jadeee and my son is ozzyazza. The WrimoRadio podcast last year was stellar, I actually referred back to it during other projects throughout the year.