Wait, again? Another November of absurdly nimble noveling? Are we all sure about this?
Of course we're sure. It wouldn't be the 11th month of the year without scrawl-filled notebooks and candy-filled desktops—not to mention the motivation-filled YWP website, relaunched and refurbished for 2012.
Let us share a few new things we have waiting for you.
In the past, we've given plenty of recommendations for word-count goals. But the truth is, all of you have your own "perfect" target that's challenging but reachable. Enter the interactive Word-Count Goal Calculator. Take part in a 10-minute freewrite, answer a couple of quick questions, and we'll suggest a goal just for you.
Our workbooks are also newly interactive and customizable. The downloadable PDFs now have textboxes for each exercise, so you can record all your character and plot planning in one convenient file. (In case you were worried, yes, Boris the Unicorn is still there.)
Once you've set your goal and done some prewriting, you're going to want to compare notes. The Writer Community page (part of the now-easier-to-navigate Resources section) tells you how to meet and communicate with fellow novelists throughout October and November. Heck, maybe you can even recruit some at your school or library with these fresh flyers.
When you're ready to get inspired, there's nothing better than pep talks. All of our authors (back to 2008) are now gathered on one page for maximum encouragement efficiency. For this year, we only have two Newbery winners and two Printz winners. You know, no big deal.
We're also gathering participant pep for the first time, so be sure you've shared your wisdom.
NaNoWriMo 2012 is officially go. Enjoy the new site features and get ready for plenty more awesomeness to come.
Chris Angotti
YWP Director
