Happy November! November is National Novel Writing Month!

I am not going to write a long involved post about NaNoWriMo. I will instead say a few short things and give you links to long involved things that I have written about NaNoWriMo before.

Here are the short things:

  • The Night Circus did indeed begin life as a NaNoWriMo project. In fact, the *idea* for the circus turned up unexpectedly in a NaNo project the year before.
  • I have not participated properly myself since ’09, though I’d love to do it again sometime. I did a single day of solidarity last year and wrote 5k or so. I am considering taking a handful of days in November and seeing what I can manage.
  • I do not and will not ever understand the general anti-NaNo sentiment that crawls around the internet, hissing, this time of year. I understand not liking that people query NaNovels on Dec 1 (there’s a lot about that in one of the linked posts below) but the general dislike for it baffles me. It encourages people (like me) who might not have actually sat down to write otherwise to sit down and write.
  • To reiterate: I cannot fathom disparaging anything that encourages storytelling. Yeah, I bolded that, even.
  • To all of you 2012 NaNo-ers, I salute you. I wave flags of encouragement and wish you happy writing and delicious snacks that don’t make your fingers sticky for ease of typing and I hope you surprise yourself over the next 30 days.

And here are links to things:

Happiest of Happy Autumnal Novembers to everyone, because I am all about the happy-wishing lately.

Categories: writing

10 Comments

Kaari · November 1, 2012 at 3:09 pm

I’m doing it again, breaking my streak of only doing it in odd-numbered years. I have an idea and characters even! It’s not the same when you’re not doing it too, but it’s still worth doing. And whether or not I make it to 50K in November, I’m going to finish this one. Writing stories! It’s a good thing.

Clara · November 1, 2012 at 3:20 pm

Thank you for the support, Erin. 🙂

Kathy · November 1, 2012 at 3:32 pm

I am participating for the first time this year. I am using it as encouragement to stop fiddling with the 6000 words I already have written and start moving forward. I have wasted way too much time on silly things like tense.

Barmy_Bex · November 1, 2012 at 3:54 pm

Thanks for the support, this will be my 4th year participating.
I did a post on my blog today about NaNo too, I don’t understand the negativity either, although querying in December is a bit too early! Took me 3 years (off and on) to get my novel ready to query after finishing it during my first NaNo.
Anyway. Great post. 😀

Cheryl · November 1, 2012 at 8:41 pm

You have inspired me to do it for the first time!

Tara Benwell · November 1, 2012 at 9:45 pm

Hi Erin,
Before 2012 I had never thought about doing NaNoWrimo because I was already working on a novel or working on promoting that same novel. It took me so long to write my first book, and the thought of getting a first draft done in one month seemed ridiculous. This year I was searching around on the NaNoWrimo site and I saw that you had worked on “The Night Circus” during a novel writing month. I signed up to take the challenge this year as soon as I read that. My eight-year-old decided to join me and do the youth version. She set her goal at 6000 words. I brought your book down from my bookshelf to inspire us both to stay with it. If I can get something started this November, I’ll have you to thank!
Cheers,
Tara

Marcheline · November 2, 2012 at 12:05 am

Well, I am a NaNoVirgin. Or I was, until today. I wrote 2,736 words today. Only 29 days to go. Holy cats.

Marcheline · November 4, 2012 at 2:18 pm

7,456! Panic setting in!!!

Friday Links « Writing and Rambling · November 2, 2012 at 12:35 pm

[…] Happy NaNoWriMo! – Author Erin Morgenstern gives some quick advice on writing a novel in a month, plus links to her past posts on the subject. Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInGoogle +1EmailLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. […]

Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge (13) | Reading In Winter · November 4, 2012 at 1:03 am

[…] Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus) talks about NaNoWriMo, writing drafts, and shares her pep talk from last […]

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