NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program - Home

Now What?

Tavia Stewart — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:06:49 +0000

Over 1.5 Billion Words Written!
Now, thousands of Wrimos are asking themselves what's next.

Now that you've written a novel in a month, you may be wondering what else is possible. Either that, or you're wondering if it's healthy to sleep for over 24 hours straight. If you're like me, you may be somewhere in between feeling ecstatic and exhausted. One moment I'm stuffing my face with celebratory cookies, and the next I'm using my mouse pad as a pillow.

After all the celebrating/napping is over, check out all the resources our site has to keep you busy while you wait for next November to roll around. You can swap novels in the December and Beyond forum. You can find out about other writing contests and read revision advice (and much more!) on our I Wrote a Novel! Now What? page. And you can check out all the other writerly websites on our Friends of NaNoWriMo's YWP page.

Plus, halfway between here and NaNo 2009 is Script Frenzy! We'll be writing screenplays, stage plays, TV scripts, and comic book scripts for 30 days. You can even adapt the novel you just wrote into a screenplay! That's what I'm going to do.

Hope to see you in April,
Tavia

I Wrote a Novel! Now What?

Tavia Stewart — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:52:49 +0000

You Wrote a Novel! So Now What? Click the link above to find out what to do now!

You Did It!

Tavia Stewart — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:07:48 +0000

Congratulations!
You did it! You wrote like crazy for a whole month!

You wrote complicated plots about interesting characters! What you wrote was both brilliant and sometimes hilariously horrible. You wanted to give up, but you did not! You wrote and kept writing up until the very end.

No matter what your word count ended up being at midnight on November 30, you are a novelist!

If you verified your novel and became an official NaNoWriMo 2008 winner, you'll have access to the "You Won!" page under My NaNoWriMo all year until next September. If you haven't done so already, download your Winner Certificate and hang it up anywhere novelist groupies tend to hang out!

If you wrote this November, but did not reach your word-count goal, we are still very proud of you! To honor your achievement, we've designed a certificate for you as well. You can access it on the Participating Writer Certificate page!

Missing NaNo already,
Tavia

You can do it!

jenniferarzt — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:03:36 +0000

You can do it!

Our winners have nearly doubled since yesterday. That is amazing! Congratulations to everyone who has reached their goals!

If you are still writing today: We all believe in you. You can do it!

Today is your day!

We’ll see you in the winner’s circle.

Jennifer

The Final Countdown!

jenniferarzt — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:38:21 +0000

The final countdown is here!

You have today and tomorrow to reach your goal!

Hop over to the word war forum to get a great word count boost.

Or, try rolling 20s. Write for 20 minutes. Take a break for 20 minutes. Write for 20 minutes... and so on. You’ll be amazed at just how much you can write in 20 minutes.

You are almost there, novelist! Keep going! This is the day to give it all you’ve got. I promise that when you’re standing in December looking back on November you’ll be so happy for the extra effort you put in today.

So, write your way to the winner’s circle!

To Verify & Win:
Go to My NaNoWriMo ---> Verify & Win and cut and paste your novel into the validator. If you're having trouble uploading your novel, feel free to contact us. While Tavia is out of town, I'll be here to help.

Happy writing,
Jennifer

The Last Weekend!

jenniferarzt — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:35:52 +0000

You have come so far, novelist!

Jennifer here. I'll be standing in for Tavia this weekend.

As Tavia was heading out and I was stepping in for a few days, we talked about you. Yes, you! We talked about how far you've come. We are so proud of your progress! As of now, 653 people have found their way, word by word, to the winner's circle. Congratulations to each of you!

The rest of us sitting outside the winner's circle have three days left.

The last few days of NaNoWriMo are like the final loop-de-loop on the biggest roller coaster. You know they’re ahead of you. All the other loops have propelled you towards this one. The final loop-de-loop in this noveling November is here, with an added corkscrew twist: The last days are on a weekend. Kapow! Bonus time!

Write like crazy this weekend.

Ride your way through the crowning adventures with your main character, final battles with the villain, and a wonderful conclusion to your fabulous November novel.

Here’s to a wordy weekend,
Jennifer

Winning is Rampant!

Tavia Stewart — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:31:55 +0000

Nearly 500 Winners Already!
All around the globe, authors are triumphantly finishing their novels.

And you can too!

There's still a long weekend ahead of you to write like the wind to reach your word-count goal. If you're feeling behind, eat more candy, do some jumping jacks, put on some high-speed noveling music, and write, write, write!

Once you finish, go to My NaNoWriMo ---> Verify & Win and cut and paste your novel into the validator. If you're having trouble uploading your novel, feel free to contact us. I'm off to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving, but Jen, another one of our mighty staff members, will be happy to help you.

Write on!

Tavia

Goog Endings

Tavia Stewart — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:46:31 +0000

Finally, you are nearly finished with your book, and all you can think about is the glorious moment when you'll write the words "The End." You're going to jump in the air and shout. You're going to hug the cat. You're going to ride your bike to your friend's house and spend the night eating Pixy Stix, and the sooner the better!

Not so fast. The ending is one of the most important parts—maybe the most important part—of your masterpiece. Your ending can make the difference between a book that's just okay and one that is great. So take some time now to make your ending as good as it can be.

How do you know a good ending when you see it? Shoot for these two important qualities. First, a good ending is unexpected. It should take your readers by surprise. Second, it should make perfect sense. When your readers think back over the story, their reaction should be something like, "Wow! Of course! It had to end this way. How could I not have known?"

But how do you create this perfect yet astonishing ending? One of my favorite teachers, the science fiction writer Damon Knight, gave me this simple but excellent advice.

Step One:

Step Two:

Step Three

Step Four

Nancy Etchemendy was born in Reno, Nevada in 1952. Deserts, sagebrush, horses, real cowboys, and Indians, abandoned silver mines, and the occasional mobster were everyday parts of her childhood. Nancy now lives and works in Northern California, where she leads a somewhat schizophrenic life, alternating between unkempt, introverted writer of weird tales and gracious wife of John Etchemendy, Stanford University's Provost. Her latest release is Cat in Glass and Other Tales of the Unnatural , which has won the ALA Best Book for Young Adults and was a Bram Stoker Award Finalist.

Nancy Etchemendy's Original Pep Talk

Tavia Stewart — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:18:20 +0000

This Pep Talk Is A Must Read!
Need some serious inspiration? Read Nancy Etchemendy's pep talk!

Trust us, this pep talk rocks!

You might have already read it if you received her email, but we think it is worth a second look. Especially, since this is the un-cut, original version that is filled with more pep for your buck.

If you haven't read it yet, you are in for an inspirational treat. I wish I had read it before I dusted all my collectible figurines and cleaned out the moldy burritos from the office refrigerator. I would be at least 1,000 words ahead of where I'm at.

Happy reading,
Tavia

You Can Win

Tavia Stewart — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:50:51 +0000

Winning in Full Swing!
Visit My NaNoWriMo and you will see the Verify & Win option.

If you didn't get to read yesterday's NaNo News story, you may not know that winning has begun. This year it's so easy. Once you reach your word-count goal, just head on over to your profile (My NaNoWriMo) and click on the Verify & Win menu option on your left.

Then cut and paste your whole novel in the word-count validator, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and hit the "Submit" button. And just like that, you'll be a novelist!

Happy winning everyone!

Tavia