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National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:39 pm
by Ryme
Every year I like to plug National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which is a fun creative writing project for people who really like creative writing, or really like slightly crazy ideas. Normally I say a lot about it, but this year I'll leave it to the experts: http://www.nanowrimo.org

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:10 pm
by Carygon Nijax
Cool!!! Race once again!! but I don't think I might get to the 50k words.. anyway.. it is going to be fun!!!

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:51 am
by AldenteVonTino
I never enter such things myself.
I did enter a poetry contest years ago and actually won. I didn't win much, other than my poem was entered into a book of poetry that was being published that year and a "discount" for that very book, as well as a "reasonable price" for a plaque containing my poem as well.
Really stupid to offer a "prize" of "discounts and specials" to people who live on a fixed income!
8)

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 6:12 pm
by Ryme
AldenteVonTino wrote:I did enter a poetry contest years ago and actually won. I didn't win much, other than my poem was entered into a book of poetry that was being published that year and a "discount" for that very book, as well as a "reasonable price" for a plaque containing my poem as well.
Was this the International Library of Poetry, otherwise known as Poetry.com? I got one published there, back in college, so I could see myself in print. They put a typo in my poem. I bought one copy, just to have record of the poem, but their business model is basically selling copies of poems they're helping people self-publish, and I decided they're basically a sham. I don't think they'll reject any poems (other than maybe for decency/legal standards).

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:14 pm
by AldenteVonTino
Ryme wrote:
AldenteVonTino wrote:I did enter a poetry contest years ago and actually won. I didn't win much, other than my poem was entered into a book of poetry that was being published that year and a "discount" for that very book, as well as a "reasonable price" for a plaque containing my poem as well.
Was this the International Library of Poetry, otherwise known as Poetry.com? I got one published there, back in college, so I could see myself in print. They put a typo in my poem. I bought one copy, just to have record of the poem, but their business model is basically selling copies of poems they're helping people self-publish, and I decided they're basically a sham. I don't think they'll reject any poems (other than maybe for decency/legal standards).
Yes, was my thinking as well after a while. Toss enough chum in and you'll get the sharks.
But hey, we're in a book and that's something, right?

8)

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 12:24 am
by Muhandes
I don't join "national" things, unless it's my nation.

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:14 am
by Satan
So far as I know, it's not limited by nation, actually. How could it be, since all you're really doing is writing a 50,000 word novel in a month. I don't think there's anything more to it.

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 7:36 pm
by Carygon Nijax
I think "National" is just one of the words you can add to the novel

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 7:53 pm
by Satan
Doc Igor wrote:It's not limited by nationality. Just like the National Hockey League lets American cities have teams... 'national' doesn't mean much.
Errrrrr... You sure you're using the right example? It's a national league. In the US. So American cities would be in it. So this isn't at all an example of something showing national doesn't mean much. Anyways, it says right on the site in the history of the second year that Canadian people had participated - "We had become international!" (paraphrased). So I'm pretty sure it just has the N because people prepend it when they need another letter for an acronym. Or in this case, another two letters.

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:12 pm
by Carygon Nijax
by the way.. NaNoWriMo sounds better than InNoWriMo

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:06 pm
by Satan
Well. Now I've learned something new. As you can tell, I'm not one for hockey. Or sports. :p

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:29 am
by Muhandes
I know it's not limited. My point was, that some US people think that the US is the entire world, and thus a "national" thing by definition applies to the whole world.
It doesn't.

And I avoid such people.

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:01 pm
by Ryme
Muhandes wrote:I know it's not limited. My point was, that some US people think that the US is the entire world, and thus a "national" thing by definition applies to the whole world.
It doesn't.

And I avoid such people.
And some people, such as the people silly enough to think writing a novel in a month is a good idea, are also silly enough to title it "national" just for the heck of it. It started out as something on the order of a prank or a dare, and the name has stuck. You're attributing bigotry to a man who is most definitely the complete opposite--the guy who started it just wants everyone to have fun, be inspired, and write a novel.

The web site has extensive international support. Forums for different countries and regions. Back in '02 my writing buddy/competitor lived in Belgium.

Really, I know that Americans can be pretty blind to the rest of the world in many respects, but in this instance I assure you: it's not like that.

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:21 pm
by Corrupt Shadow
:shock: Wait a second--there are other countries out there?! :shock:

My map looks like this:
Image

;) ;)

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:53 pm
by Muhandes
You're taking me too seriously.
I read National Geographic every month. In Hebrew.

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:07 pm
by Carygon Nijax
Corrupt Shadow wrote::shock: Wait a second--there are other countries out there?! :shock:

My map looks like this:
Image

;) ;)
South America does more than just coffee!!

We make drugs!!

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:48 pm
by Ryme
Muhandes wrote:You're taking me too seriously.
I read National Geographic every month. In Hebrew.
Sorry. You sounded serious. And it is a valid complaint, at a certain level.

I recommend in November, instead of reading National Geographic. You write a novel. In or out of Hebrew is fine. Either way.

Re: National Novel Writing Month

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:30 pm
by Ryme
Just bumping this because I really and truly love this project. Other than this game, and one other non-November novel draft I've written, my 3 NaNoWriMo novels stand as three of my proudest achievements. (That's three of the top five, or 60% of my top handful of achievements in my moderately creative life.) In other words, it's really good stuff. I'd be doing it again if it weren't for 30 Days of Twilight. I'm tempted to do it anyway, and damn the eyestrain and carpal tunnel! And batten down the hatches, too!

Also, there are two other fantastic reasons to participate:

1) #4, also known as "my brother", or "Lord Moribund Saturnine Dread" is part of the NaNo team. You all want to do things he does, right?

2) Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo, writes some of the most excellent inspirational email blurbs, all month long.