Yes, my friends and I watched V for Vendetta on Saturday Nov. 5, and yes, there is an abundance of mustache-sporting people wandering Trent to raise awareness of prostate cancer this month. I myself am guilty of finding a peculiar piece of fuzz on my dorm room floor and, realizing it was shaped like a Chaplin’s ‘stache, taped it to my face and immediately snapped a picture of myself to send to a friend. Girls love Movember, too.
But are you aware of another reason why November is a great month?
This year, I was introduced to this little thing called National Novel Writing Month, or, as we call it, NaNoWriMo. What’s that, you say? It’s the competition that brings all aspiring authors out of the woodwork just to put them back in a reclusive state as they type out 50,000 words, yes, that is roughly 150 pages, of a novel. It’s fun. “Fun?” you ask, “How can that be something people actually want to do?”
Well, the Peterborough area has over 260 members alone, and there are quite a few Trent students involved this year! People of all ages can join. As a writer who has wanted to participate in a writing competition like this for years, it’s a blessing and yet a curse. You never realize how big 50,000 words is until you’re in the thick of things, trying to finish your deadline for the day, and the plot is just not coming together like you thought it would.
The dialogue doesn’t sound good, the characters are lifeless, and you just want a good cup of coffee to last you through the night. On top of this, myself, a first year student, has been struggling with readings and three different essays for school.
For most, a good story idea is not just something you can pull out of your ass on demand. That’s what short stories are for, a burst of inspiration, but not something you need to get too attached to. In essence, what you write for NaNoWriMo is a book, full of great ideas that you form a long-term relationship with. It can be your best writing, some days it can be your worst. It’s “thirty days and nights of literary abandon!”
Though it is stressful, it is extremely rewarding. I’m sitting at 25,000 words right now; exactly halfway through. (Don’t ask me how my social life is doing these days.) Collectively that’s the most I’ve ever written for just one story. It’s an immense feeling of accomplishment, like you’re a proud mother.
The best thing about NaNo is the support you get from being part of that huge community. Pep talks are sent out throughout November from famous authors, some of which have gotten their start from being in this competition. You only submit a word count, not your actual story, so you don’t have to worry about wondering what other people will think.
You can do anything with it. Be wild! Write about your life, other people’s lives, or your own made-up twisted fantasy. Start thinking for next year, or start something now that you can continue when next November starts. I hope I’ve inspired some of you. My closest friend has declared that she is going to start writing in January, and do NaNoWriMo next year. I’ve pursued many synopsizes of other writers on the site, and some of these ideas sound amazing. What harm can creative writing do? Other than harm to the characters if you decide to kill one of them off. I have one friend at home that’s already done that to two of her main characters. Exciting stuff.
To other WriMos: Happy writing! See you at the finish line on November 31!
