Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009

50,000 words, 30 days, 1 writer

50,000 words in 30 days.

That's the challenge that thousands of writers across the U.S. accept every November as they participate in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo to insiders. A handful of writers on the Strand took up the gauntlet last year and plan to do it again starting today. The experience, they said, is one they'd recommend in a heartbeat.

"There's nothing like the drive - the race - to reach such a staggering goal," said Devin Blake of Myrtle Beach, who first participated in 2004 and writes fantasy novels. "And finally reaching that 50,000-word finish line, the personal reward is well worth the hair-pulling moments."

The annual test of endurance began in 1999. A group of 21 amateur writers in San Francisco decided to see if it was possible to write an entire novel in a month. Gluttons for punishment, the next year they decided to try it again, and they built a Web site (nanowrimo.org) so others could join in, not expecting much of a response. From there, it snowballed.

Last year, nearly 120,000 writers began the month and more than 20,000 passed the 50,000-word mark by the end of November.

At the beginning of the month, the finish line looms far in the distance. Reaching the 50,000-word mark means writing nearly 1,700 words, about the length of the Declaration of the Independence plus the Gettysburg Address, every day.

Amanda Renee, 37, a chick lit writer in Little River who's been participating since 2003, knows all too well the daily grind.

"I literally plan for NaNoWriMo every year. I finish my Christmas shopping in October," Renee said.

Blake had her own way of coping with the demands.

"During the day I didn't have much time for writing, so I spent most of my nights glued to my laptop. Coffee quickly became my friend for that month."

So, if it takes so much time and energy, why do it? With no money involved and no real chance at fame, why do thousands of amateur writers put themselves through 30 days of stress each year?

Erin Shropshire, a 21-year-old Horry-Georgetown Technical College student from Myrtle Beach, reached the mark in last year's challenge and said it was worth it just so she could say she'd done it.

"What'd you do in November?" Shropshire said. "I wrote a book."

Ralph Gallagher, 19, first heard about the month in a creative writing class at Carolina Forest High School. He said the month is "a little therapy for yourself," a chance for writers to express feelings in print that defy conversation. "Some things you may not be able to say," Gallagher said.

Jason Ockert, a creative writing professor at Coastal Carolina University and a published novelist, said writers "write in order to not be forgotten. To be consequential."

Those who've participated in the month before emphasize that it's for everybody, even those who've never previously put pen to paper or put fingers to keyboard.

"If you ever said to yourself while watching a movie, 'they should have done ...' or 'the ending should have been ...' then you have the ability to write," Renee said.

And for the lucky few, finishing a novel in a month can lead to a publishing deal. The National Novel Writing Month Web site lists a few dozen authors whose November efforts have led to book deals. Renee was almost one of them.

"In 2004, I pitched a manuscript I started during NaNoWriMo to Harlequin. It was book one of a four-book series," Renee said. "While they loved the idea and wanted more, I wasn't comfortable where the series was headed. Yes, I turned down a publishing opportunity, but throughout that process, I found writing in first person was more my style. Everything I wrote up to that point was third person and I struggled with it."

Ockert cautioned writers not to expect too much. Asked if he thought it was possible to write a decent novel in one month, he said, "I think it is possible to write a decent draft in one month." But it's not all gloom for the aspiring novelist. As he later pointed out, "The way to write a novel is to first write a complete draft."

Shropshire, who "sort of combined all of the fantasy novels I've ever read" in her novel last year, said that the pride in completion was a reward in itself.

"I felt so proud of myself," she said. "This is like an actual, finished, honest-to-God novel. It's so cool to submit it to the Web site at the end of November."

The NaNoWriMo Web site is one of the main appeals for many who take part in the month's challenge. Beyond tracking writers' progress and offering general tips for getting started, the site features forums that allow fellow novelists to offer writing tips and encouragement and gives stumped novelists a place to vent their stress. The site also offers the opportunity to talk with writers, and many groups set up local meetings to share the experience.

"It's just like a little community," Shropshire said. "It's really neat to be a part of something like that. ... The feeling of being a part of a group of people who are doing this seemingly impossible task, it's just really cool."

Blake echoed that sentiment. "There is also a strange camaraderie gained from the fact that you're not alone on this journey," she said.

And after a month of writing, making new friends, struggling with plots and dialogue and downing countless cups of coffee, those who persevere can look back 30 days later as the proud owner a newly finished novel. And once the first work is done, the sky's the limit.

"At the end of November the writer who participates in National Novel Writing Month will have a stack of paper brimming with possibility," said Ockert. "The sheer volume of words is an accomplishment."