MARY LAMPHERE AUTHOR

What is NaNo?
It’s short for National Novel Writing Month, a global event that takes place during the month of November and has been building a following since its inception in 1999. Writers from around the world commit to writing 50,000 words of new fiction. That breaks down to approximately 1667 words a day and hopefully a workable rough draft come December.

How do you register?
Go to https://nanowrimo.org, click on sign up (or sign in if you’ve participated before), and fill out the brief form. Once registered, there will be three subjects at the top of the page:
1. My NaNoWriMo – Everything about your project and writing buddies.
2. Community – Be sure and join the Home Region USA::Illinois::DeKalb
3.Writer’s Resources – All about NaNo offerings

Why participate?
1. NaNo provides a firm goal and an external deadline. Fifty thousand words, thirty days.
2. There is a built-in community through NaNo, locally, globally, in-person, and online.
3. It gives your writing priority.
4. To prove you CAN do this.
5. Please note that although it’s called National NOVEL Writing Month, you are allowed to rebel and create a writing project of your choosing. Memoir, non-fiction, a collection of poems… I am hoping to complete a series of short stories this year. Same goal: 50k words, same deadline: November 30.

Rules for NaNo:
DO:
1. Write.
2. Write every day.
3. JUST WRITE
DO NOT:
1. Format.
2. Delete.
3. Edit.
This is not the time to be pretty. Write ALL THE WORDS in their clumpy, messy form.

Benefits of Participation:
Besides the challenge, the accomplishment, the pride, and the fun of it, NaNo—
1. Provides intense incentive, commitment, productivity, and consistency.
2. Helps to focus on getting the story down without constant doubt or self-criticism.
3. Teaches you what works and what doesn’t to better develop your own personal writing style.
4. Prioritizes your writing to yourself and others.
5. Gets you that MUCH closer to a complete and workable draft.
6. Helps you feel better. Seriously, all those words filling you up, bloating you. You need to purge.
7. Expands your writing community.
There is an active local group, DeKalb Wrimos on Facebook, Discord, and through the NaNo website. The kick-off was last night, but they meet for write-ins throughout the month. The first one is Sunday, November 5 at 1:30 pm, First Baptist Church 349 S 3rd St, DeKalb, IL 60115
For a reliable remote group, you can join NaNo Word Sprints on X (formerly Twitter)
8. You could join the best-seller ranks of fellow NaNo authors like:
Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants
Rainbow Rowell, Fan Girl
Hugh Howey, Wool
Jason M. Hough, The Darwin Elevator

And Lastly,
Tips & Tricks:
1. Even if you’re a Pantser, be a Plotter in October. Prepare an outline, plot your story, consider character development and details so once you start writing, you can run with it.
2. WRITE ALL THE WORDS. You will (hopefully) revisit this come December. Now is NOT the time to be wondering which adjective best describes your character. WRITE ALL the adjectives, et al.
3. Use any and all time opportunities. Do not be afraid to jump in for a ten minute word count quickie.
4. Handwrite and transcribe later if you get a few minutes but have no screen.
5. It’s okay to start at the beginning and write straight through. It’s okay to write scenes as they come to you. Let me say it again, JUST WRITE.
6. Prepare responses for potential interruptions. Rehearse the words, “Not now, it’s NaNo.”
7. Frontload. It’s really easy to write a lot in the beginning. So do it. If you can average 3,000 words for the first couple of weeks, if you hit a mid-month slump, you are already ahead of the count! (Thanks to Michelle, the local ML for that tip.)

I am giving a presentation covering all of this tonight, Monday, October 23 at 6 pm, at the Sycamore Library, 103 E State St Sycamore, IL 60178, stop by if you are interested and would like to discuss further.

A writer’s guide to getting the most out of National Novel Writing Month

We will discuss what NaNoWriMo is, how to register, the benefits of participation, how to get the most out of the experience, and most importantly, how to utilize the resources to make writing a priority all year long.

Mary Lamphere, host
Mary has participated in NaNoWriMo 12 years total, completing the 50,000 word goal 7 of those years, resulting in 4 publications. She was a Municipal Liaison for several years, leading write-ins and crafting supportive tools.