Halloween is Here! That Means It's Time For NaNoWriMo!

Happy Halloween!

It's hard to believe that it's the end of October already. For me the end of this month not only means Halloween-a night surely made up by candy craving children with no care for teeth health- but it also means the beginning of a very busy month for me.

November 1st is the start of NaNoWriMo. Haven't heard of it? Neither had I before last month. It is National Novel Writing Month. It is a competition to write 50,000 words or more of a novel in 1 month. Sounds crazy? I think so, but it also sounds like a challenge worth attempting.

There are many reasons for writers to join NaNoWriMo. Here are a few of mine.

• I have been sitting on an idea for a new story for a while and this challenge gives me the motivation to get it down on paper.
• Writing 50,000 words in 1 month means I need to do 1,667 per day to complete. I hope that doing this will help me form a strict writing schedule that will stick after the competition.

Any of you interested in braving NaNoWriMo with me? If so, let me know and I will add you as a buddy. There is a lot of support among writers and I think it will be as much fun as it is a challenge. The rules are not strict, just guidelines for the most part. So don't be intimidated.

If 50,000 words for 1 novel sounds like too much, many people are splitting their writing into 2 smaller novellas.

Are you a writer of YA (Young Adult) chapter books? There is an additional contest being held during NanoWriMo for you! YA literary agent Regina Brooks, along with editors at Sourcebooks will be accepting submissions of your first 250 words of a YA novel.

Regina Brooks and editors will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Dan Ehrenhaft, head Acquisitions Editor at Sourcebooks Fire; Alisha Niehaus, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin); David Linker, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books; Michele Burke, Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Evette Porter, Editor at Harlequin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to four winners and a grand prize winner—all five will be provided commentary on their submissions.

Follow this link for more information about this YA Novel Contest and good luck if you enter.

As always, thanks for taking time to stop by. I will do my best to respond to all comments.

~ Kristin :)