At first glance, this looks vaguely like an obscure Hawaiian greeting. In reality, it turns out to be much more straightforward but infinitely more challenging. NaNoWriMo is shorthand and an acronym for National Novel Writing Month. I would like to tell you that poking around the NaNoWriMo website was fully illuminating. It wasn’t.
I did learn there are one-month writing marathons held at least once a year wherein fledgling authors commit to writing 50,000 words in 30 days (anywhere from a full manuscript to at least a third of it). The next one starts April 1, 2023. You sign up to become part of the NaNoWriMo community. There is a place to announce the intention of your writing project. There is even a tracker where you can faithfully record your progress and how many words you’ve written that day. Additionally, there are chat rooms and forums and FAQs, and all manner of other things you might need to help support you in this book writing challenge.
I was struck that NaNoWriMo even offers a six-week preparation course before you write a single word. What the actual rewards of winning this contest are are still not clear to me. Something about access to another part of their website with gifts and tips for successful writers who achieve the requisite 50,000-word count. I admit I am relatively new at this book-writing avocation. And if, by chance, any of you know more about this process and how it works, please share. I am keen to bear down on the manuscript and have been in fits and starts. I seriously considered signing up for NaNoWriMo knowing full well the power of deadlines.
However, out of all this seeking, the next great lesson learned on the book writing path is discernment. Someone I know in my 3X Weekly Writer’s Accountability Group signed up for NaNoWriMo in the past. They experienced burnout about halfway through the month. I have a feeling that happens a lot. Turns out, there is not just a little help out there on the internet to aid in the book-writing process. There is an absolute tsunami of options.
Many of those offerings are very useful and have already helped me clarify many of my start-up questions. For example, the Perfect Your Process Writing Summit last weekend created by Daniel David Wallace was excellent. I bought the USD$67 package so as to have future access to the presentations.
There is one throughline that I keep coming back to in this journey toward the holy grail of eventual publication. The bottom line: Shut Up and Write. That is italicized, of course, because, of course, there is a website for that: http://www.shutupwrite.com This resource connects you to a myriad of free, online meetup events near where you live. The only expectation and the only cost is your time and commitment to writing. That sure sounds like the best way to go. That is, once I have fully arm-wrestled the procrastination demons into submission.
The things I am learning about book writing.
Expressive Compulsive 