Boston area writing students make final preparations for NaNoWriMo
Rheanna Bellomo
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Veterans of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) refer to it as writing the "Great Frantic Novel." For Anna Draves, a Simmons graduate from Reinbeck, N.Y, this November will mark her sixth year as one of those frantic novelists. "It sounds crazy, I know, but I just love it," she said.
NaNoWriMo is an annual, month-long writing project that brings professional and amateur writers together each November with one common goal: to write a 175-page novel (a suggested 50,000 word count) by midnight, November 30.
Draves is the leader of both the student and adult Boston-area WriMo groups, which meet at the Boston Public Library at different points throughout the month to discuss progress, get over writer's block and brainstorm new ideas for increasing word count.
On Tuesday night, Draves met in the Boston Public Library's Young Adult Room with three students, each with varying ideas of the direction, style, and approach of their novels.
Twelve-year-old Krishna Anand from Arlington Middle School said this is her second year participating and that she upped her word count goal to 80,000, double her goal last year.
"I want to say that I can do it again and that I can do it even better," she said.
Hannah Sullivan, 13, from North Quincy High School said she tried to participate last year but that her schoolwork and extra-curriculars left her with no time.
"They interfered with my writing and I could never get to it, which is said because I love to write," she said.
Last year, Sullivan said she had developed a plot and many of her characters but her actual word count was zero. "This year I'm using the same idea, I'm just going to approach it differently," she said.
Andre Williams, 17, from Somerville High School, said he is going to overcome the battle with time by "writing during every free minute."
"I will write on the T, while waiting for the T, right before bed, whenever I can. Otherwise, with school dominating my day, I won't get any of my novel done," he said.
 Media Credit: nanowrimo.org A screenshot of the Young Writers' website, where students can interact with other writers, find tools to help them brainstorm, and track their progress. |
NaNoWriMo participants, whether first-timers or veterans, must set aside the urge to edit and simply produce.
"The only thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality," says the program's website. "The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly."
Draves said her writing is both a hobby and a passion, both of which drive her to participate in NaNoWriMo. "I think if I was homeless, I would take a pen and paper over food," she said.
Being able to network while also being independent is Draves' favorite part of NaNoWriMo. "What draws me to it is that I get to write original fiction and meet fellow writers; that I get to be social while also writing away in my own corner, in my own world," she said.
The NaNoWriMo meeting allowed the students to converse with other aspiring writers and discuss the topics of their upcoming novels. It also served as a workshop, during which Draves led activities and offered tips to help increase word count, avoid writer's block and "keep the ball rolling," she said.
Draves stressed that the students' writing should come naturally and that any urge to edit or discard must be pushed aside. "Just write anything and keep writing. Don't stop to fix anything, or throw anything out. Just keep going so that you will be able to reach your goal. Editing is for the rest of the year," she said.