October is here and November round the corner. Lunacy and insanity are in the air and the scent of 50,000 words drifts in on the breeze.
Your words, that is.
Your novel.
You, yes you. The novelist.
You are up to it, you know. No need to dissemble and be bashful and make a million excuses and hide under the dining table. You've always wanted to do it. You know you have.
And the good news is that those 50,000 words don't have to be great words. Or even good words. Or even mediocre words.
They can be utter total crap!
Who cares?! Who gives a toss?
This is not a test of wit or brilliance. It's a test of bum glue, pure and simple.It's a matter of slog. Of getting words out day after day.
If you haven't a clue what I'm talking about go here and explore. (You might also like to read this Washington Post article.)
If you're so desperate to sign up for the ordeal that you're chewing your mouse-pad in anticipation, you will have to wait a day or two longer until the site's new server comes online, I'm afraid. In the meantime put some ketchup on that mouse-pad.
If you aren't sure whether you are suffiently insane to take on the challenge, go here.
If you think this is all rather silly and beneath you and your great novel will be accepted by the glitziest glossiest upmarketest bookshops across the globe sometime soon, then good luck to you and just push off and read a blog more erudite and sane.
If you think this is all silly and beneath you because you've written one of the novels on the Booker or Nobel shortlist ... yeah, well, you're probably right.
Seriously though, (just for a moment before abnormal service is resumed) the good news is that things are already happening behind the scenes. The NaNoWriMo website has been relaunched and is new and improved complete with podcasts to keep you motivated.
And here in Malaysia we have begun to get ourselves organised. The Scarfer and Erna have vounteered themselves as "Municiple Liaisons" (such an odd term, civil service-ish!) to coordinate events. Several more of us are helping behind the scenes in whatever way we can. (I'm trying to get us some sponsorship - at least in terms of organisations prepared to cheer us on.) We now even have a Nano blog for Malaysian participants.
Last year we had 40 participants and 10 finished novels. This year we want gazillions of both for this, the biggest writing competition on earth.
You on for it?
What do you have to lose? Except what little sanity you have left!
10 comments:
Lovely post, Sharon. It's a blessing to have someone as passionate as you are about writing to spread NaNo news.
Ha! By the time the nano begins i will have finished up my store of words!
bum glue rocks!
Er.. what's a municiple and why do you need a liaison for it ? seems you need a liaison for everything these days, driving, running a business... :D
(Sorry.. it's just that it's my "be mean to everyone" day. Tradition, you know.)
*sig* I dunno, Anonymous. 'S just what the NaNoWriMo guys dreamed up ...
But they have an important task coordinating everything locally, making sure meet-ups happen and shouting encouragment from the sidelines.
Excellent intro to Nanowrimo, Sharon! Love the bum glue, too. Hope there are thousands of Nanuts this year!
nanuts! love it!
Required snack for all NaNuts - endless supply of Ngan Yin Menglembu groundnuts!
supplied by chet??
Actually I prefer the er.. I'm not sure what the peanuts are called but they're usually served in some Chinese restaurants. I've never tried eating while writng before. And Ngan Yin doesn't hold a candle to _real_ Menglembu groundnuts.. been to Menglembu once.. to see the peanut farms.. they're kinda lucky in a way because fresh roasted peanuts taste way better than the packaged ones :)
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