There’s nothing like a little motivation, and a lot of challenge to get the creative mind working.
For the past six years, self-published author Linda Nelson of New Ipswich has knuckled down each November to try to get down on paper her next novel – or at least the start of one, during National Novel Writing Month.
“I have been taking part every single year,” said Nelson. “I don’t always complete on time, but it gets me going.”
Nelson isn’t just talking about starting a novel in November, but the movement of NaNoWriMo – an organized effort to write a 50,000 word novel over the course of 30 days. That’s 1,667 words a day, which writers can track on the NaNoWriMo website.
They can also, as Nelson does, use writing prompts, called “word sprints” to help spur the inspiration and get words down on paper, or use write-ins, both in person at official NaNoWriMo locations like the Greenfield Stephenson Memorial Library, or streaming online to draw strength from other writers that are going through the same struggle.
“They tell you to turn off your inner editor,” said Nelson, “and just get the words down on paper. You can go back and edit later. The whole idea is to get words on the screen, because you can’t edit a blank screen.”
And the challenge has worked for Nelson, who has self-published several books, including three that she worked on during NaNoWriMo over the years, ranging in genre from fantasy to romance to a mystery adventure.
Nelson said she first stumbled across the concept as it was being bandied about by one of the writer’s groups she belongs to, and she found that the challenge of writing every day, the prompts and peer support really helped her to work to complete her stories.
“I like the challenge. It’s hard. Not everyone completes it. But it helps get you motivated,” said Nelson.
And the challenge is the only thing that writers get out of the challenge – that and either a completed book or a good chunk of one finished – because there is no prize for completing the NaNoWriMo challenge other than satisfaction. In fact, the website where you track your progress is a complete honor system – there’s no one checking to make sure that you’re producing work that’s coherent or part of a single story. But for those that want to tackle the challenge, they can come out with a publishable story.
For more information about National Novel Writing Month and NaNoWriMo, visit nanowrimo.com. For more information about Linda Nelson or her books, including those published under her psuedonym, visit www.lindajnelson.com or www.lydia-clark.com.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.