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Hi Writer,

It’s here! Our month of literary abandon is finally upon us.

My name is Chris Baty. I founded NaNoWriMo in 1999 and ran it for many overcaffeinated years before departing in 2012. Now I’m one of the volunteers working on NaNo 2.0.

I’m also an excited, terrified participant in this year’s challenge. If you, like me, are wondering if you really have the time or talent to tackle a ginormous writing project in November, I have good news for you.

You don’t have to write anything this month.

Nope.

Because your imagination will be taking care of it for you.

Hey all you young scribes, I’ve got good news for you. You already have the most important element you need to write a novel. How do I know that without knowing you? ‘Cause you’re reading this. The most important element is want-to.

That was me when I was young, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I wasn’t a very good student. Parents and teachers didn’t know much about ADD or ADHD (pretty much the same thing) back then, so I thought the reason I couldn’t concentrate was that I wasn’t smart. I had a hard time getting through a story that wasn’t interesting to me, which was true about most of the stories teachers gave me to read in school. But then I discovered when they assigned a story that did interest me, I’d get completely lost in it. I loved writing that made me laugh. I loved writing that made me cry, or get angry.

Then it hit me! I wanted to write stories that made other people feel those things.

Helloooooo Wrimos!

Let’s see if this scenario is familiar to you:

You want to do something… say, write a novel. You go to work all day, then after work you run all your errands, then you come home and maybe have to deal with the exceedingly foul emissions of a very old cat (just me?), then you cook dinner and clean up and send the last email of the day and finally—finally—it’s seven o’clock. 

It’s your time.

Time to write. You promised yourself you would write for one hour every day and get that novel written, and now… here we go!

For all you teachers bringing the joy of NaNoWriMo to your students, we’ve got a guest post from Wyatt Bessing. Wyatt is a writer and educator who has guided middle and high school students through NaNoWriMo since 2012. Today he shares how he uses the “Sparking An Idea” activity from our free Young Novelist Challenge workbooks to help students brainstorm. (Pro tip: this activity also works for adults!)

One of my favorite activities in the workbooks is called “Sparking an Idea.” It’s all about brainstorming, and it has students focus on the concrete task of listing twenty ideas or things, topics or characters that made them feel curious or excited, wonder or awe.

One of the missions nearest and dearest to our hearts here at NaNo 2.0 (besides writing) is sharing as many resources as we can to help others write! And many* of us know** that the most important resource out there is community. That’s why we’ve gathered information on a few communities to share below. 

We know some of these communities well, but don’t have first-hand experience with all of them. We’ve included information on cost and age inclusion for each community, and we encourage you to explore their sites before joining to find what’s right for you. 

There are many writing communities and challenges out there, and we’re excited to spotlight more in the future. Are you part of a community that you’d like to see featured? Let us know!  

Hey writers! Earlier this month, we introduced our first set of Writer Swag badges… and now we’re back with more! This time, we’re all about celebrating your progress and each important moment along the way. 

One of the smartest lessons I learned my first year in the classroom was to steal everything you can from other teachers. Grab those handouts left in the copy room. Pay attention over that cafeteria lunch when they brag about what’s working with their students. Eavesdrop when your students talk enthusiastically about what they’re loving in another class. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel! 

So today we bring you tips and tricks from some experienced NaNoWriMo teachers, all the way from 1st grade novelists through college Wrimos. Best news? These tips are free! No stealing necessary. Please take what looks good for you and your students.

Have you always wanted to write a novel? Perhaps you’ve been too scared to start, haven’t had time, or stalled after the first few pages? NaNoWriMo can help!

Many things make the NaNoWriMo formula work: community, accountability, creative momentum, etc. If you get the formula right, NaNoWriMo is magic (which is why so many of us in the NaNo-verse cling to it even after the demise of the non-profit).

Like you, the NaNo 2.0 volunteers are preparing for their upcoming November writing adventure. 

What are they hoping to accomplish? How much planning are they doing? And what kind of tasty treats are they packing for the journey?

I interviewed some of our team members to find out!

I read a book last year that changed how I write. 

When I was in school, we were taught creative writing using the Snowflake Method. The Snowflake Method begins with a story idea and builds upon it, progressing from a single sentence to three paragraphs and ultimately to three pages. 

This method created a vivid beginning, but I often get lost in the middle because it left many questions unanswered, mostly due to a disconnection between my scenes. That all changed after reading Lisa Cron’s Story Genius.

The Story Genius Method begins with the main character, and you don’t start with the story, but with what happens before the story begins.  

To start, you need to figure out a few things about your main character.