If on November 1 you hear furious keyboard pounding echoing around the world, fear not. It is the sound of more than 250,000 people beginning a literary challenge of epic proportions: 30 days, 50,000 words, and one original novel.
Why? Because November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, the world?s largest writing event and nonprofit literary crusade. Participants pledge to write 50,000 words in a month, starting from scratch and reaching ?The End? by November 30. There are no judges, no prizes, and entries are deleted from the server before anyone?even reads them.
?NaNoWriMo is the writing world?s version of a marathon,? said Grant Faulkner, executive director of National Novel Writing Month. ?Writers exit the month with more than a novel; they?ve experienced a transformative creative journey.?
More than 650 regional volunteers in more than 60 countries will hold write-ins, hosting writers in coffee shops, bookstores, and libraries. Write-ins offer a supportive environment and surprisingly effective peer pressure, turning the usually solitary act of writing into a community experience.
In Berkshire County, local novelists have a full slate of literary events. Kicking off the month is a NaNoWriMo Edition of the Writers Room (at Y Bar on Tuesday, November 6 at 8pm), followed by a series of write-ins at the Berkshire Athenaeum from 1-7 p.m. on November 7, 14, and 28.
?We?re hoping the local events will give our authors an extra boost,? said Gabriel Squailia, NaNoWriMo?s Municipal Liaison for the Berkshires. ?It?s all an extension of the camaraderie you?ll find on the online forums, where you can find instant help with research questions or character names any time in November.?
?Not only did I write 50,000 words by November 30, I also had cheerleaders from the next block, from across the Atlantic and from NaNoWriMo daily blogs,? said participant, Twana Biram. ?Imagine getting pep talks through the heavy irony and hilarity of Lemony Snicket, and the clarity and appreciation of fan fiction from Mercedes Lackey.?
With NaNoWriMo?s Young Writers Program, that community crosses age boundaries into K-12 classrooms around the globe. The YWP allows kids and teens to set their own word-count goals, and offers educators high-quality free resources to get nearly 100,000 students writing original, creative works.
Although the event emphasizes creativity and adventure over creating a literary masterpiece, more than 90 novels begun during NaNoWriMo have since been published, including Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and Cinder by Marissa Meyer, all #1 New York Times Best Sellers.
?You can?t revise what isn?t written yet, right? This novel-in-a-month challenge is such a fantastic way to jump-start your story,? said Lindsey Grant, NaNoWriMo?s Program Director.? ?Plus it is officially the most fun?and effective?way to shed the constant self-doubts and inner-criticisms and simply pour that story onto the page.?
For more information on National Novel Writing Month, or to speak to NaNoWriMo participants in your area, visit www.nanowrimo.org or contact press@nanowrimo.org.
The Office of Letters and Light is a California-based international nonprofit organization. Its programs are the largest literary events in the world. Learn more at www.lettersandlight.org.
Source: http://discoverpittsfield.com/news/creative-mayhem-sweeps-across-the-globe/
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