National Novel Writing Month 07
The website of the National Novel Writing Month takes a rather softly-softly approach to its wording in order to attract quiet, literary types, so if you’re one of the delicate ones I suggest you skip on right to the end where I’ve typed the site address in italics, and scurry along to the cool safety of what’s known as NaNoWriMo by those that take part. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt through three years of trying to get people to enter the damn thing, it’s that no-one does it if you’re nice to them. Everyone else should sit down, shut up, and read on.
Have you ever wanted to write a story? Bear in mind I’m not asking whether English is your first language, or whether you’ve taken writing lessons, or whether your mother and father nurtured your creative abilities from a young age, lending you lamplight, quills, a steady supply of ink and a mentor named Albert. I mean, did you play make-believe games as a child? Did you ever think that your favourite TV show or film could do a bit better in some parts? Did you ever read a book that you thought missed something out? Because the funny thing is that most people do have a desire to write, and everyone – everyone – can.
Oh, but you’re worried about not being so good, right? Well, you’re not good. Let’s not be silly here, with your attitude you’re probably terrible at writing right at this moment. But a month’s worth of solid writing is going to change that, and it’s going to change you. So here’s what you’re going to do this November – you’re going to write fifty-thousand words of original fiction. You’re going to do it because if you don’t do it right now, right this year, right here at Imperial, then you never will. That’s the what. You know what you’re going to do. Here’s why.
The why is very simple – firstly, we’ve established that you think it would be A Pretty Cool Thing To Do. Forget about the idea of writing almost two thousand words a day for a second, and imagine waltzing around in December with a novel under your belt, a novel that no-one ever needs to read, but that you can be proud of, and slip into conversation with the casual air of a young Jeffrey Archer. “Oh golly, darling, it’s been so long! Yes, I know. You know, I would have, but I was just finishing off my novel, and you know what it’s like when you’ve done forty-five kay already, mmm?”
Although it should be pointed out, most people don’t do it in order to add a dash of smarminess to parties. The real reason for someone such as yourself to do NaNoWriMo is because now is the time you’ll flesh out the person you are. You’re more free than you ever have been, and yet not burdened with the full weight of decision-making. You’re busy enough to justify the large amounts of free time that you have, but not so busy that the time is unusable. Most of all, you’ve got your dreams, and your chances to reach out for them are thinning out. Don’t be fooled, those of you who dream of a high-paying job that’ll retire you at thirty-five. It’s now that you’ll do the things your grandchildren will hear about, not then.
The idea began with just a few friends, but now spans the globe and will lead more than forty thousand people to the goal of fifty-thousand words this November when it kicks off for its ninth year. It’s a group that’s now organised, a fully-fledged charity that’s set up children’s libraries in Vietnam and Lagos thanks to donations from the people who were encouraged to write their first, then second, then maybe sixth novel. But at the same time, it’s still a simple bunch of people working behind a simple idea – that writing is fun, and not enough people realise that. To that end, they encourage, egg on and sometimes push you towards the goal that, at times, will seem even further off than it does now.
There are weekly podcasts, local meets with like-minded writers, and an online forum buzzing with orphaned novel ideas, experts on every conceivable topic, and people who are just as worried and confused as you are. And yes, they probably got tricked by some student journalist too.
And if that’s not your thing, then you can work in complete isolation – even the word checker that deals out your certificate at the end of November is entirely automated, and so if you want it to be a private thing, they’re just as happy to have you. They have people writing by hand, writing in Greek, writing novels to get published or just writing. They don’t even force you to donate money to their cause – they’re just there to give you an idea to get started, and a reason to keep going.
This year, Felix wants to do the same. So we’ll be covering the National Novel Writing Month in a series of short reports during November, as well as some warmup articles this October. If you’ve entered before, please get in touch with us and let us know more. If you’re going to attempt it this year, we’d love for you to do the same. If you’re not sure whether you can handle it, after all the mixed metaphors and poor pep talks I’ve attempted, I can only leave you with this – it’s worth giving a chance. The feeling of accomplishment, the way the enthusiasm filters through to other aspects of your life, and the confidence it gives you in your day-to-day living is unique and unbelievable. Writing is a novel is something many of us say we will do, one day. There are thirty of those One Days coming up. Make sure you’re ready for them.
To find out more about the National Novel Writing Month, visit their website at http://www.nanowrimo.org. If you’re going to enter this year’s competition, we’d love to hear from you – arts.felix@imperial.ac.uk.
