Write a 175-page novel in 30 days. National Novel Writing Month's clear cut goal challenges writers, seasoned or otherwise, to pick up a pen or open up their computer and write. The program began with 21 writers in 1999 and since expanded to include over 200,000 participants across the world. Novels such as Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants and Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus grew out of the project.
However, out of the 200,000 participants who began NaNoWriMo in 2010, only 30,000 finished their novel in November. Websites have since emerged to help aspiring novelists, providing writing inspiration, motivation to write and advice for writing.
Writing Inspiration
Shylock Books traditionally reviews children, middle reader and young adult books. A more recent feature on the website, however, will surely inspire those facing writer's block during National Novel Writing Month.
The website runs a feature entitled, "Weekly Novel Writing Inspiration." The site describes the feature as "a weekly meme...highlighting writing prompts as visual inspiration." The weekly post showcases a series of photos. The posts, often striking, usually contain an underlying uniform theme in each of the weekly images.
Participants in NaNoWriMo can use the images for writing inspiration, working to overcome the dreaded writer's block that can emerge during the month long project.
Motivation for Writers
Write or Die pushes writer’s to go, go, go. Run by a web host who calls himself Dr. Evil, Write or Die is a web writing application that forces writers to stick to their goals.
Using a space for writing provided by Write or Die, National Novel Writing Month participants (or anyone else who wants to use the platform) set a word count goal and a time frame. The application then uses various stages of motivation to help writers achieve their goals. These actions range from “gentle” – a pop up reminder to “normal” – harsh sound effects to “kamikaze” – the application begins to delete the words written until the writer is back on track.
The Write or Die form of punishment motivation is just what some NaNoWriMo participants need in order to keep up with the heavy task of completing a 50,000-word novel in just one month.
Advice for Writers
If a NaNoWriMo participant typed “advice for novel writers” into a search engine, they would quickly be inundated with how-to guides. Out of all of the possible choices, one site stands out – Procrastinating Writers Blog.
The site is filled with advice for those who are either stuck in a writer’s block or who just don’t feel like writing any more. The site also offers coaching, classes, e-book guides and links to other sites filled with advice for writers.
The creator of Procrastinating Writers Blog says the site is “a community of writers who all have the same mission: get writing done.” Participants in this year’s National Novel Writing Month can find plenty of advice in this community.
National Novel Writing Month is designed to be a fun yet useful activity for writers. The program's website describes itself saying, "By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down."
But make no mistake, NaNoWriMo can also be stressful. Reaching out into the web and finding sites for writing inspiration, writing motivation and writing advice helps with the novel writing process and in becoming part of the online writers community.
Ashley Wilbourn Pinciaro - Ashley Pinciaro received a M.A. in journalism from Emerson College in 2009 and has since worked for media platforms throughout New ...
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