This November, PWN is joining in on the NaNoWriMo fun and creating a challenge for adults and teens to write 50,000 words in a month. And to take this challenge to the next level, we are creating a CONTEST pitting our teen writers against our adults to see who can write the most words.
Each week, contestants log in their hours with us, which we keep track of on a huge poster in our studio.
And yes, there are prizes!
We will have ONE overall winning team (teens or adults) as well as ONE teen highest-word-count winner and ONE adult highest-word-count winner. There will also be some other special prizes, including a MCSW (Most Committed Studio Writer) for logging in the most time in the studio. The winning team receives either a pizza party (teens) or wine/cheese in the studio (adults). Individual winners receive a gift card and PWN gear.
What Is NaNoWriMo, you ask?
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an annual Internet-based creative writing project with the goal of writing a 50,000-word manuscript between November 1 and November 30. Visit the NaNoWriMo website for more information.
What If I’m Not Writing a Novel?
No novel, no problem. You can commit to writing anything. If you’re writing a memoir, it’s NaMeWriMo. Planning on writing ten 5,000 word essays, then it’s NaEsWriMo. You get the point.
How Will I Write This?
To help us write and write and write, PWN is offering two weekly open studio times during the month of November: STUDIO SUNDAYS and STUDIO MONDAYS. (Remember, there is a prize for the participant who logs in the most studio time!) See schedule below:
Sunday, November 3, 10 to 12 p.m.
Monday, November 4, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 10, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Monday, November 11, 9 to 11 a.m.
Sunday, November 17, 3 to 5 p.m.
Monday, November 18, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 24, 12 to 2 p.m.
Monday, November 25, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
If you sign up for our NaNoWriMo competition, we offer a 20% discount for any Studio Sunday or Monday. You will be emailed a code after you sign up with us at NaNoWriMo@projectwritenow.org.
This Is Crazy! I Can’t Commit to 50,000 in One Month!
Yes, you can! Or at least, you can try. Our goal is to get the writing muscle in our brain churning to help us keep our butts in the chairs and get words on the page. And you have a writing community to cheer you on, listen to your complaints, and keep you motivated with some friendly competition. (By the way, PWN already has two NaNoWriMo alumni—Mimi Cross and Vivian Parkin DeRosa!)
OK, OK How Do I Get Involved?
Send us an email at NaNoWriMo@projectwritenow.org by October 31 to sign up for our contest. Please write “NaNoWriMo Competition” in the subject line and include your name, phone number, and a line or two about the project you are working on. You can also officially sign up at NaNoWriMo (those under 18 can register at NaNoWriMo Young Writers), but you don’t need to in order to participate in PWN’s NaNoWriMo.
Let’s Do This!
If you’ve always wanted to try it, try it now, with us! If you’ve never heard of it until now but have been wanting to increase your writing goals, this is your chance!
We hope you will join us!