Thanksgiving is over, and we in Professor Smaldone’s seminar enter our final stretch of our first semester in college (Crazy, huh?). But the closing of November marks the termination of another event- NaNoWriMo! No, this is not a Japanese sitcom. This is National Novel Writing Month, a unique, stimulating challenge for creative writers around the world. The task: to write a 50,000 word (or more) novel in one month. No previous experience in the art of writing is necessary. In fact, NaNoWriMo was created in 1999 by 21 non-writers who decided to embark on a monthlong journey just to get their voice out there. They wanted to write novels not out of any aspirations of tapping into their creative selves, but rather for the same reason angry teenagers start doomed-for-failure boy bands- to make some noise. And, they claim, “Because we thought that, as novelists, we would have an easier time getting dates than we did as non-novelists.”
Each group member strung thousands of words together through the month of July 1999. What they discovered was not embarrassment, pain, and self-doubt, but a whole lot of fun! The writing process was so enjoyable that they decided to go for a second round the following year in November, taking advantage of the miserable weather. A website was created and they each forwarded the challenge to their friends, recruiting 140 participants. The event spread from their San Francisco Bay area to around the United States and Canada, turning NaNoWriMo into an international race. The official rules were set, and NaNoWriMo has been exponentially growing in participants and countries ever since.
“Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.” With NaNoWriMo, it’s all about quantity, not quality. Go ahead and spew. You get an A+ for having fun with the process. NaNoWriMo will challenge your inner perfectionist and force your brain to pump out creativity on a whole new level. NaNoWriMo’s promoters beg, “Stop being one of those people who say, ‘I’ve always wanted to write a novel,’ and become one of those people who can say, ‘Oh, a novel? It’s such a funny story–I’ve written three.’”
If you are especially ambitious and up for an arduous test, NaNoWriMo’s November challenge is still open for submissions by midnight, local time, November 30th. However, if you do not feel capable of churning out 50,000 words in the next two days, fear not. NaNoWriMo is held several times a year, so you can be sure to make the next deadline.
For a complete list of rules and instructions, visit the NaNoWriMo homepage here.
There are many contests that are offered now, in our technological age, that encourage people to channel their creative outlets to create something that would not have been invented had it not been for the encouragement and pressure from these contests. We live in a fast-paced, technology driven world where every aspect of our lives can be calculated and constructed. We sometimes forget to look beyond Wall Street and Congress and take time to indulge in our inner artist.
NaNoWriMo reminds me of a challenge that I had participated in for a short amount of time before the semester started, but it was on a much smaller scale. I was surfing the internet one day when I came across someone’s blog. She was explaining this new website called “Write or Die” which is a website that prompts you to select a time limit, word count and even consequences. This website is unrelenting and if you set it, it will make your words disappear if you can’t meet the constraints. Under so much pressure, there is bound to be no more writer’s block and if used enough, can prove to result in something productive and wildly creative. I suggest you all try it sometime!
In my humble opinion, NaNoWriMo is a detriment to art. Encouraging people churn out novels is pretty counterproductive. At the very beginning of the year, J S Foer was asked what he thought about Twitter. He said that his best writing is the result of a long process of thought and editing, not the first thing that pops in his head. If a great writer like Foer needs to spend years to create something decent, I dare say that the average person’s NaNoWriMo is utter trash.
As though we need more data polluting the world. Its hard enough to sort out the great art.
This is such a interesting competition. If I have time, I will definitely participate in it; I have always had the desire to write a novel on my own. This competition is like the marathon of creating novel, but it tests people’s creativity instead of stamina. This competition promote more people to create literature and enrich the literary world. Everyone is talented; why not show your talent?
This competition also reminds me of the painting contest for teenagers. In this contest, teenagers have develop their painting around the specific topic in limited time. This contest provide a great opportunity to teenagers to show their talent and practice their skill, which is meaningful for the future generation.
I also associate this article with some literary websites in China that provide venues for people to start their writing career. One of my friend was writing her story in one of the website, and one publisher is interested in her work and encourage her to continue writing.
In conclusion, with the development of internet, more opportunities are emerging. It is good for the progress of any form of art.