“There's an old folk saying that goes: whenever you delete a sentence from your NaNoWriMo novel, a NaNoWriMo angel loses its wings and plummets, screaming, to the ground. Where it will likely require medical attention.” 
― Chris Baty

Don't Panic!: It's National Writing Month!  

    _{...hahahHAHAHAHAHA-AHAHAHAHHH - I can assure you that after last year, I persist to be an entirely sane, functional, and generally rational human being. In any case you think that I've lost any quantity of marbles, please keep it to yourself, or slide your insults under the door. Thank you.}

What is NaNoWriMo?

    What do you do? Write a novel in a month! Does that number look big and scary? Well, for perspective's sake: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald were all 50,000 word novels.

    In a month you're writing roughly a 143 page novel. (Based on the average pocket paperback having around 350 words a page.) The great bit about being a part of this project annually is that a lot of writers participate in it, and deviantART is just one place that provides plethora of resource for it.

    Oh, and it doesn't have to be good. In fact, the goal is to write some of your worst first draft drabble, which one day will be polished into a presentable turd covered in the confetti of life. U know spill gud, u know gammer gud, et u rite lick heal. Quantity over quality - get your phalanges a wigglin'! (At least during November)

Where is NaNoWriMo?  

    Any website supporting writing supports this event to some extent - whether officially, or just in the community. The main hub for all your prep, inspiration, and tracking needs is at nanowrimo.org/. 

_{(Also, totally send me a friend request.)}

How do I prepare?  

    Everyone plans for their writing in different ways. Last year, I just winged it. (Wungéd it?) This year, I'm doing a little writing prep to get myself mentally prepared for what I'll be writing. It depends on what you want to do. If you have a project that you've been considering for the past few months, it might be time to write down a couple point about it in the next week, and just get on with it.

    If you find out that you're not happy with your project halfway through the month, you don't have to quit. There's no rule saying you can't work on multiple projects at once, and there's nothing to say that you can't spruce things up. In fact, last year I went from a small town murder mystery to a comedy science fiction and I still ended with a good chunk of novel.

Helpful Links:

The Raw RHUBARB Project:

[COMING SOON]  

I'm terrified and I cant find my pants.  

    Good news - You don't need pants to write! National Writing Month can be done in the comfort of your own home or local coffee shop. Keep an eye on the deviantART community in the next few weeks, and join in on chatrooms to write with fellow comrades in real time!

Chat Rooms:
NaNoWriMo
FreeWriters
WriteRoom

Happy Writing!

NAKTARRA