NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program - Home

Where Not to Write Your Novel!

Tavia Stewart — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:31:02 +0000

Where To Write Your Novel!
The most frequently asked question of the week answered.

It seems like many Newbie NaNo-Novelists are understandably confused about where to write their novels. So, we've come up with two lists. One listing the places one should not write a novel, and the other listing places one should.

Places One Should Not Write His or Her Novel
1. In the Word Count Validator. If you write your novel here, it will not be saved after you hit "Submit." This is not a place to write a book, but a place to cut and paste the words you've written so far. This Validator's soul purpose in life if to count. It does not know how to read (such a sad existence this must be).
2. In a forum post. Please do not write you novel, or post long excerpts of your novel in the forums. If you do, we'll have to delete the posts.
3. Any other place on our site. Though this may go against what many people believe, there is no place for a writer to write a novel on our website. You can post an excerpt of your book under "My NaNoWriMo"--->"Edit Novel Info," and you can talk about your novel in the forums, but we don't offer a place to write a novel here.

Placed One Should Write His or Her Novel
1. On your computer at school or at home. You can write your novel on a number of programs, such as Word, Notepad, or Works. Any word processing program will do! If you are writing on a computer, you can validate your novel using the aforementioned Word Count Validator. Check out this FAQ to find out how: click here to read this FAQ.
2. Online. You can write your novel at home and at school if you have internet access by using Google Docs. That's what I'm using to write my novel. That way, I can write using any computer, anytime. Just Google "Google Docs" and sign up. It's totally free!
3. In your notebook. It's absolutely cool to write your novel using the old standbys, pen and paper. you can update your word-count manually by entering the number of words in the box above the word "Update" in the masthead throughout the month. In the end, when you reach your goal, just email us, and we'll get your your winner's certificate.

Hope this answers a lot of your questions!

Happy week one,
Tavia

Pep Talk From Esmé Raji Codell

Tavia Stewart — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:08:16 +0000

"Think of anything you write as a piece of fruit."

Dear Writing Friend,

How are you doing? Come up with anything yet? Choices are a challenge; writing is a bombardment of ideas, so often overwhelming. In the interest of prolonged pep, I thought I would share with you an idea that simplifies the process for me.

Think of anything you write as a piece of fruit. Yes, a lovely ripe peach, in fact, the perfect one of summer. Reading is like that, biting into something so delicious that you might hope you never come to the end of it. But writing is not like that. Reading is like eating, but writing is like planting the stone that bears the fruit that others eat. And so the pit is where we as writers begin, and we try to build a peach around it.

The stone of the fruit is the thing you want to say, or the theme, the main idea. For one novel I wrote, Vive la Paris, what I wanted to say was, “it’s hard to be your brother’s keeper.” For Diary of a Fairy Godmother, it was that “you have the power make your own wishes come true.” For Sahara Special, maybe it was “things can change.” Each of these simple thoughts was the pit, the stone, the seed of a book. Then as I wrote, or built the fruit around the pit, I had to make sure that the flesh matched the seed that had been planted. You can’t build a grapefruit around an avocado pit. You can’t grow a banana from an apple seed. (Much as I have tried.) Everything in the story has to build around this seed, or it doesn’t fit. It’s easy to get caught up in the clever names of characters, or long descriptive passages, or flights of fancy, and then suddenly realize that the narrative doesn’t flow. If your story starts to fall apart or feels overly ambitious, stop and think: does the latest decision serve the theme? If it doesn’t, congratulations! Take it out and save it somewhere else. You have another seed and a head start on a novel for another day.

I suggest that in a few words, write out what you ultimately want to convey to your reader on a giant sign or a tiny post-it note. This big idea will help you know how to start and end. As you create, look at it, remind yourself; keep what you want to share with the world solid inside the pit of you and your story, then bury it deep in the voices of your characters and in their adventures. Build around and around it, but as you work, never lose track of the idea at the core of the fruits of your labors. The mark of great writing is that after consumption, it leaves the reader with a seed that they can plant in their own way.

Happy gardening writing,
Esmé Raji Codell
www.planetesme.com

NaNo 2009 Begins!

Tavia Stewart — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:05:08 +0000

Thousands Off and Writing Worldwide!
NaNoWriMo 2009 officially begins!

Hope you all got off to a good start yesterday! Writing a lot right off the bat is the way to go. That way you have a big old cushion of words once the Week Three noveling fatigue kicks in.

For those of you who haven't started your novels yet, do not fear! I have to admit (sheepishly) that I haven't either. But catching up is no problem at all. I take inspiration from those insane folks who write 50,000 words in the first week of NaNoWriMo. Or those brave souls who join us midway through the month and finish their books with time to spare.

No matter your word-count today, know that you have plenty of time to get those novels finished!

Welcome to the NaNo-madness,
Tavia "starting her novel tonight" Stewart-Streit

Pre-NaNo Checklist!

Tavia Stewart — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:55:44 +0000

Pre-NaNo Checklist!
Eight things to do while you wait for November 1.

Okay, so you have characters, perhaps you have a plot outline, and you’re ready to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Great! Here’s a pre-NaNo checklist that might keep you busy while you wait for the fun to begin.

1. Set your time zone. It’s super important that you set your timezone so our site knows when NaNoWriMo begins and ends in your neck of the woods. Here’s how you do it: first, click on “My NaNoWriMo” on the menu bar. Then, click on “Edit User Settings” in the left hand menu on your author profile. Scroll all the way down the page to the box that says “Time zone,” and select your date and time.

2. Set your word-count goal. If you haven’t done so already, set a challenging goal for yourself. First, click on “My NaNoWriMo” on the menu bar. Then, click on “Edit Novel Info” in the left hand menu of your author profile. When you get there, you will see a box where you can enter your goal. You want to make sure you do this because if you don't, our site will automatically set it at 50,000 words. Eep.

3. Fill out your “Author Profile”. Tell us and your fellow Wrimos about yourself. Add a picture by going to “Edit User Settings,” then “Upload picture.” Answer a few questions like “What authors and books inspired you to write?” and “What music to you like to novel by?” And most importantly, tell us about your upcoming novel. Inquiring minds want to know its title and genre, and what it’s (potentially) going to be all about. You can even add a cover image!

4. Read the pep talks from 2008. Read some much-needed encouragement here from distinguished pep talkers like Jerry Spinelli, Mark Zusak, Hilari Bell, and many, many more!

5. Fill in your NaNoWriMo Calendar. This calendar can be found in each Young Novelist Workbook, and will help you break that big, scary word-count goal of yours into manageable pieces. Look on page 82 of the elementary workbook, 52 of the middle school workbook, and 45 of the high school workbook. Use it to set daily goals, and to set aside time for you to write each day. Post the calendar somewhere everyone who lives with you will see. That way they will know when not to disturb your incredible, artistic pursuits!

6. Watch NaNo-Videos. You can find all of our NaNo-Videos here. They are inspiring, informative, and a great way to procrastinate!

7. Inform family and friends of your November plans. Send e-mails, talk about it at school, call relatives that live miles away, send carrier pigeons to people who don’t live in the 20th century - tell as many people as you possibly can! That way tons of people will be encouraging you to reach your word-count goal this November.

8. Stock up on treats. Stock up on your favorite snack foods (like goldfish crackers, yum!) to keep you going through those long nights of NaNo-ing. You can also stock up on treats that you might use to reward yourself for meeting daily and weekly word-count goals. Perhaps you can have stockpiles of chocolate chips for hitting your daily word count goal, or a backlog of TV shows to watch when you reach your weekly goal.

Five Reasons Why I Love Writing!

Tavia Stewart — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:36:53 +0000

"I love to write because it is a reminder of just how lucky and free I am."

1. Ever since always, in every place across the world, people have been telling stories. Even before humans created written language, stories were being told over roasted dinosaur meat around the campfire. Every society on the face of the planet tells stories in one form or another, which leads me to believe that making up stories is just as essential to our survival as eating and drinking and breathing air. I love writing because when I write, I feel connected to my deepest humanity.

2. Writing is the one area in my life where I get to have absolute control. I can be or do anything when I write! Nothing is too fantastic: I can host a fancy dinner party and have monsters come waltzing in to ruin everything! Or pretend I'm the scientist who discovered the moon! Or shrink down to the size of a mouse and live inside a wall! Or tunnel into the center of the Earth and build a city of gold! Whatever I want, I can make it be.

3. Writing affords me a chance each and every day to just sit with my thoughts and be still. I live in a city, with lots of hustle and bustle and people everywhere, and I love that. But I also think it's important to sit and be quiet with yourself and your thoughts. Writing for me is very meditative and calming, and helps to keep me peaceful in a very frantic world.

4. Every writer is influenced by everything they've ever read. All the books and stories that have passed through your hands have also somehow made their way into your thoughts, whether you are aware of it or not. I love that idea. I love to think that when I write, I am in some ways sitting down with all the books I've ever read, and also, in some ways, sitting down with the writers who wrote those books. I like to think that I'm connected to a long line of people just like me, people who also loved to write.

5. Lastly, I love to write because it is a reminder of just how lucky and free I am. Sadly, there are governments throughout the world that feel threatened by the written word. Writers who live in these countries are persecuted and imprisoned, their writing censored, their lives threatened every day... simply because they love to do what you and I love to do: write. Writing becomes, therefore, a constant reminder of how very fortunate I am. It also becomes a challenge to you, to me, to all of us: to face the fact that not all people are free, and to work to change that.

Zulema Summerfield is a member of our Young Writers Program Board and is the one of the co-authors of the Young Novelist Workbooks. She has been reading and writing since as far back as she can remember. Zulema has worked with young people in all kinds of ways, from teaching them about rocks and squirrels, to helping them write book reports, and leading awesome field trips to petting zoos and amusement parks. Zulema is currently working on her MFA in fiction at San Francisco State University. She lives with her husband (The Incredible Hulk) and her cats (Little One and Big Foot) in San Francisco.

Another Record-Breaking Year!

Tavia Stewart — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:49:39 +0000

Another Record Breaking Year!
Over 1,000 classrooms participating worldwide.

There are 9,000 young writers are signed up on the YWP website, and 35,000 are participating in over 1,000 classrooms all around the world. We've received requests for Classroom Noveling Kits from teachers in India, Thailand, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Mexico, New Zealand, Finland, Poland, Belgium, Korea, and Puerto Rico.

Thanks to all you NaNo-believers who spread the word about our crazy program, it's looking like we're going to double last year's participation numbers. This is amazing!

Less than a week to noveling,
Tavia

Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition

Tavia Stewart — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:49:47 +0000

Get Discovered This November!
Read all about the YA Novel Discovery Competition.

Amazing news, Wrimos! If you're 13 or older, you're eligible to participate in the Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition!

So … what is it? Well, to compete, just send in a title and 250 words from the opening of your YA novel. As you'll probably be writing these 250 words (and many, many more) during NaNoWriMo, it's pretty much a cut-and-paste contest! (Okay, so not really.) That's it! And best of all, there’s no purchase required, no entry fees, nothing! The contest runs from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET), November 30, 2009.

The entries will be judged by editors at publishing houses such as Penguin, HarperCollins, and Random House. This is what you can win:

The Top Twenty Entrants: a free, autographed copy of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks, a premier YA literary agent.

The Top Five Entrants: the opportunity to pitch their book in a one-on-one, fifteen-minute pitch session with Regina Brooks!

Grand Prize Winner: all of the above, as well as a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers’ Workshop!

This contest is a mind-blowing opportunity for aspiring YA writers! So get your noveling hat on and get ready to write! It might just be your year to be discovered.

Grace

Getting Past the Blank Page

Tavia Stewart — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:27:32 +0000

When you want to start a new story, that blank page or screen can look awfully scary. Here are a few ideas that might get you going.

There’s no law that says the first words you write have to be the very beginning of the story. If you know what you want to happen in your opening scene, you can start some way into it. You’ll often find it easier to go back later and write the part you missed out.

Starting with a line of dialogue can be effective. One of my early books began with the line, “No, lad, I’m not your father.” And the book went on to tell about the boy’s search for who he was.

Another way is to start right in the middle of the action. Get the story moving, and ‘drip-feed’ the background information about who the characters are and how the situation came about.

You might start with a surprising statement, one that you will have to explain—not directly, but in the way that the story unfolds.

Or begin with a stunning bit of description, especially if your story is set somewhere unusual. But keep it short.

A good idea is to look at the openings of as many different kinds of stories as you can. See how experienced writers do it, and see whether you can adapt their techniques to your own writing.

The main thing is to get going. (Psst! I found it really hard to start this column!) Remember that your opening isn’t set in stone: if you decide later that it isn’t right, you can always go back and change it.

Good luck!

Cherith is a fulltime writer of fiction for both children and adults. Her children’s fantasy trilogy, the Eaglesmount Trilogy, was published by Macmillan in 2001, and a new series, The Abbey Mysteries, has begun to appear in 2004 from Oxford University Press. She has a special interest in Arthurian literature, and has published several Arthurian short stories in which she explores the character of Sir Kay. Other short fiction has appeared in Interzone, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Realms of Fantasy and various anthologies, and her Arthurian novel, Exiled from Camelot, was published by Green Knight in 2001. A Venetian fantasy novel, The Reliquary Ring, was published by Macmillan in 2003, followed by The Roses of Roazon in 2004. She is currently working on new books in the Warriors series.

Young Writers Program Manifesto!

Tavia Stewart — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:58:44 +0000

Young Writers Program Manifesto!
NaNoVideo features NaNo's YWP Program Director.

Tavia Stewart-Streit tells the world what we're all about.

Writing NaNo-News in the third person,
Tavia

A Challenge to Challenge a Friend!

Tavia Stewart — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:56:04 +0000

NaNo: More Fun With Friends!
Challenge everyone you know to write with us!

It’s a well-known fact that NaNoWriMo is more fun when you know your friends are doing it along side you. That’s why we created this easy-to-use Challenge a Friend machine. Just put your friends’ email addresses in the appropriate field, add an encouraging/threatening message to the box, and send away.

Right now, there are about 4,000 young writers signed up for NaNoWriMo. We’re shooting for 7,000 by the end of the weekend. I know we can do it!

So get out there and challenge those friends of yours! Make it your goal to get them all onboard so you’re all on the same frantic-novel-writing boat this November!

Tavia