If you love to write and you're a little bit crazy , this is a great time of year. November first marks the beginning of this year's National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo. That's right! A whole novel in a month. Well, actually it's a short novel of only 50,000 words but who's quibbling? That will be challenging enough. My 3 oldest students and I are signed up already. Guess what subject we're focusing on in November?
There is a lot of information on the website as well as numerous helpful forums. Be aware that some of the forums contain language and adult content. There are designated forums that are family-friendly and monitored to keep out such content. They are marked with a little gold starburst. On these forums, you will find some wonderfully encouraging people who are willing to help and answer any question.
Have fun!
NaNoWriMo last minute tips? Hmm. :) First and foremost I would say just make sure you're having lots of fun. That's the REAL goal. If you get too stressed about your word count, it could start feeling less like a great adventure in writing and more like - well, work! Also, you aren't allowed to start the actual writing until midnight tonight, but, if you haven't already, pre-writing is allowed. Take some time with your kids this afternoon if you can and sketch out some ideas with them. It doesn't have to be a full-blown, detailed out-line, just some notes to help get organized. In addition, whatever the final outcome is, even if you don't make your "official" goal, I encourage you to print up "Participation" certificates for your children. If you google "printable award certificates", you'll find many sites that allow you to create and print a certificate for free. And finally, if you don't know about lulu.com, I encourage you to check them out, too. We've used them to print our previous NaNoWriMo efforts and been very happy with the results - especially since each book was less than $10. Totally worth it!
I just asked my eldest if he had anything to add and he said, "No, its great! You get to write and no one is telling you 'This is spelled wrong.' or 'This needs a comma.' or anything." Hee. Not exactly advice, but I guess it's a good endorsement.
, this is a great time of year. November first marks the beginning of this year's National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo. That's right! A whole novel in a month. Well, actually it's a short novel of only 50,000 words but who's quibbling? That will be challenging enough. My 3 oldest students and I are signed up already. Guess what subject we're focusing on in November? 
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Oct. 23, 2006 - Woo!