Yes, thirty days of pouring your words into a story that has no time to stagger, stutter or stop. Cranking it out, day after day. It’s a challenge, but thousands of would-be writers sign up every year. (See Inkygirl’s comic, above).
This year, young writers can give their writing muscles a stretch too: check NaNoWriMo for Young Writers. The details are here for anyone who wants to tap into their inner Stephen King (author of the terrific book, On Writing, in which he advises writers to get that story out, in some form, as quickly as possible. Revision and rewriting comes later.) Instead of the 50,000-word expectations of the adult competition, young writers can set their own word count, a feature that makes this daunting challenge more appealing.
The complicating factors are school, extra-curriculars, chores and the daily pull of other recreational activities (“But it’s Leafs and Pens tonight!” or “I can’t miss Ashley’s sleepover!”). But if you’re a writer (or know a young writer) who simply has to write, and you’re looking for a challenge, this one’s for you.
A novel. In one month. Start plotting…
My son and I decided to to NaNoWriMo together this year. I signed up yesterday and he'll be signing up this weekend in the Young Writers'division. I had second thoughts last week about what I'd promised, but my son's, "Mom, we shook on it!" was the end of that discussion. Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo, wrote a great book called No Plot? No Problem! with great strategies and lots of humour to help get through the 30-day writing marathon ahead. I recommend it highly.
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