IntroWriMo

Welcome to IntroWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month for Introduction to Libraries Students in the Algonquin College Library and Information Technician Program (you can see why I came up with the short, snappy name instead). It is the participation assignment for Matt DeBarth.

NaNoWriMo is an annual outbreak of group insanity where a whole bunch of people each attempt to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. It started in 1999, where 21 people started and six won. The next year, 140 people started and 29 won. The following year, five thousand people started. Since then, the number of participants each year has exploded, with more than a hundred thousand in each of the last two years.

When we did our introductions in class and on the forum, many of you mentioned that you were either writers or interested in writing, so I thought a group NaNo would be an interesting and fun project. I am a writer myself, and I've attempted two previous NaNos, with a little over 20,000 words in my best attempt. My goal this year is to at least match that, although I'd love to finish the whole 50k.

I realize that we all have classes and homework that we have to do, and that many of us have work or families or other responsibilities that lay claim to our time. I'm sure some of you are thinking to yourself that there is no way that you have that much spare time for writing. But I can tell you from experience that you will be amazed at how much extra time you can find for writing when you try (and have a bunch of other equally nuts people for support). Try starting, and see where it takes you. Even if you don't reach the big goal, you'll still end up with more written than if you hadn't tried at all. Any writing is good writing.

I strongly encourage people to get involved, and not just because ten percent of my mark is riding on this. It really is a lot of fun, and the camaraderie of being part of it is a wonderful feeling. Writing is normally such a quiet and lonely hobby, so being around a bunch of other writers is a rare treat.

There will be a new post on this blog every weekday through October, then daily until the end of November. Tomorrow's post will outline the plan in more detail. There will also be a weekly poll that will update every Monday.