Melonade

Here's a copy of the challenge email I sent out announcing my involvement in nano. If you didn't get the email but want to participate, leave me a message.


Friends,

As most of you know, I have devoted much of the last few years to writing a novel, Gifted. At times, this has meant losing sleep and sanity, declining invitations, and generally being a nuisance to those in the real world. Many of you have encouraged me. Some of you ask if I am "still writing" with a spark of doubt that I will ever finish, but to me, this still counts as motivation. After all, the whole thing started as a bit of a dare.

Now here's where it gets interesting: I'm about to do it again, and I need some help.

While for some people November 1st means throwing out shriveled jack o' lanterns and counting the days until Thanksgiving, for others it is something else entirely. For the last 10 years it has been National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo or NaNo), and crazy people all over the world will once again choose to write a first draft of at least 50,000 words (roughly 200 pages), or 1,667 words per day.

You may ask, "What's this got to do with me?" Here are some answers:

1. Place your bets. One of the NaNo motivational tools is making bets with friends/family to nudge you toward your word count goal. For example, you might propose that if I don't make my word count, I buy dinner for you. Or clean out your garage. Or walk your dog. As long as it's a) legal, and b) not against my morals, I'll probably agree.
2. Make it more interesting. If you want to go beyond standard betting, you can propose something more extreme/expensive/ridiculous and also provide me with a minor character that must be used in the story. I'll ask you for a few simple details (name, age, and a couple of other things), and fill in the rest. Of course this probably means that I will have to provide actual proof of your character's presence in the story.
   
3. Send out good thoughts. NaNo requires seclusion, but I know the only way for me to succeed is to have support. There will be days when meeting the word count is a breeze. Other times I will be tempted to type, "This was the dumbest idea ever!" 278 times. Even if you don't want to participate in the first two options, you can check up on my progress and/or harass me when there isn't any via posts to Facebook or Twitter, or check out my NaNo page if you want to delve a little deeper. Share this message with other potential supporters.
4. Come celebrate with me. I fully intend to finish by midnight on November 30th, and I want to make a big deal about it. I hope you'll join me in December for a celebration.
   

Now you're thinking, "That's great and all, but what about that other book that's still not finished? Why stop now when you're so close?" While my first story began by the guidelines of NaNo, I wrote the draft in April because I couldn't wait for November. I've let three other Novembers pass without participating, but this year a lot of new stories have been stirring around in my head, and it's time to put at least one on paper. I'm not finished with the first story, and it's not finished with me, either. It's been pretty patient so far and is willing to wait until I get back.

One more thing, and I'll be done: NaNo is sponsored by the nonprofit Office of Letters and Light. If you're a fan of reading, writing, or people who read or write, and you've got some spare change, please consider donating to the cause. $10 will keep those servers serving for 3 hours. $25 sponsors one classroom in the Young Writers Program...you can click the nano link above and go to donations to see more.

All right, you made it to the end! Thanks for reading. Happy November!

Mel

This November will be the 10th NaNoWriMo, and they've designed a nifty tee to commemorate the occasion. Being a lover of NaNo and t-shirts, I naturally want one now.

Oh friends, the writing juices are flowing again. Let's all rejoice. Things were clogged for far too long. I must say thanks to all the people who ask me if I'm still working on it without even the tiniest bit of sarcasm. Also, I just heard about an exciting opportunity that might get me closer to publishing the darn thing. If you're a praying person, send one up for me and the novel, would you? Thanks.

By the way, it's almost September. Which means October knock on your door any day now (make sure he wipes his feet before you let him in). And that means...NaNoWriMo 2008 is almost here! If you have ever said to yourself, "You know, I'd like to write a book," then you need to know about NaNoWriMo. Come November, people around the world will be torturing themselves to finish a first draft of 50,000 words in a mere month. It's like the Olympics, except everyone wins, and you don't have to lie about your age to get in. If you're a teacher, you can sign up your class for the student version of NaNo. Adorable.

Your result for The Director Who Films Your Life Test...

Woody Allen

Your film will be 58% romantic, 41% comedy, 22% complex plot, and a $ 24 million budget.

Take The Director Who Films Your Life Test at HelloQuizzy

Has it really been a month since my last post? Doesn't seem that long, but I guess blogger wouldn't make it up. Yeah, probably not.

Well, I've been taking a mini vacation from working on the book this month. I didn't plan to, but that's what happened. And I'm okay with it. Really. No, really. Okay! So I get a little cranky when I don't write. There, I've said it. And what have I been doing instead, you ask? Not a lot. Video games. The occasional movie. Finally jumping on the RSS bandwagon. Tennis and nerd games.

I've given myself July, but come August I will be back to writing. I've cleared off the desk, and it's time to get back to work.

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Now playing: David Crowder Band - A Beautiful Collision
via FoxyTunes