m. c. de marco

Have you dreamed of leading your region to glory this November? Do you love socializing with people and organizing fun-filled writing events? If so, maybe you'd like to apply to become a Municipal Liaison!

The new forms are up now! Check out the Becoming a Municipal Liaison Page for all the details. Please get your application in by September 15th. We can't wait to welcome a new batch of MLs this year!

"When people ask me what I do, I finally feel as though I can say, 'I am a writer!'"

Lying in bed unable to work after a mystery illness in early 2008 gave me more time than I ever wanted to think about my life. My beloved grandmother died around this same time, which only added to the questions in my head. The one I was most unable to shake, especially in the earliest days of not knowing what was wrong with me, and if I would ever walk without a cane or wheelchair again, was “If I died right now, what would my biggest regrets be?”

Several answers came to me, but one of the strongest was, “I’d regret that I never even tried to be a writer like I always dreamed.” As I slowly recovered, and then went back to work as a teacher, first part-time and then full-time, that thought continued to reverberate in my head. Once it was clear that my health problems were not life threatening but were potentially life-altering, I decided to take action to create more of the life I wanted, and to work towards erasing the regrets I’d felt months before. The first step I undertook was to participate in a couple of online writing courses during the 2008 – 2009 school year, just to get myself started.

By the time the first class began, I was back at work full time and my health problems were taking their toll. I was exhausted every day and would often come home and be able to do little more than lie on the sofa to rest. Nonetheless, I still mustered up the energy to work on the writing assignments for my courses. In fact, they were among the few things that made me feel better and made me smile.

During the first class, one of my fellow students posted a discussion thread asking, “Is anybody doing NaNoWriMo this year?” My first thought was, “What the heck is that?” After a little internet research led to the discovery of the premise of this lovely event, I thought, “That sounds fun and motivating.” I very much wanted to do NaNoWriMo that year but I knew with my health concerns, full-time job, and the creative writing course I was already taking during November, it would be impossible. So I tucked the notion into the back of my mind with the idea that maybe I could try in 2009.

Meanwhile, my health problems continued and so did the toll they took on my physical and mental health. I’d returned to work thinking it would help me regain some of my strength and stamina, but it was becoming clear to me that the opposite was true. Before I became ill, I’d already been thinking that perhaps it was time to start a new, more fulfilling career. The ongoing health issues only seemed to confirm that notion for me. My regret about never taking a chance on being a writer still percolated in the back of mind as well. It was this perfect storm, and the realization that I would turn 40 the following spring, that finally caused me make a decision: I would resign from my teaching job at the end of that academic year in June and take a year off to work on writing. It was a crazy plan to some people—and even to me at times—but over the years it seemed that the craziest things I have ever done have always turned out to the best things I have ever done, like the time I moved to China to teach or the time I got married and moved to the Middle East with my husband.

So, in June 2009, I began my journey towards being a writer. The initial months were exciting. I had a lovely time watching TV, sleeping late, reading books, going to the pool. In August, I enjoyed watching my husband go off to his teaching job knowing I didn’t have to do the same anymore. In many ways, it was bliss. Despite the enjoyment, though, I was having trouble initiating any writing. Every day I found a variety of ways to avoid it; with medical appointments, updating my medical files, researching alternative therapies, having my nails done, and the list goes on. After awhile, I started wondering two things: “Why am I not writing?” and “Was this whole idea a mistake?”

I took me quite a few weeks to realize that the problem was two-fold. First, I didn’t have a clue how to get started. In the past, whenever I had a goal I wanted to achieve, I always knew the steps to achieving it. All I had to do was complete the steps. When I decided to become a teacher, for example, I knew I need to get a degree, have some experience working with kids and do well on my practice teaching assignments. So I set about doing those things and when I was finished my degree, I got a job and started my career. With writing, it was a whole different situation. There is not, of course, a single way to achieving success and I had no idea how to plot a course from the starting gates to where I wanted to go.

The second problem was fear. I couldn’t help wondering, “What if I have no writing talent? What if I can’t do this?” I suppose I subconsciously believed that if I didn’t start, I couldn’t fail; I could always just say I never tried so that’s why it never happened. As I struggled with my fear-based procrastination, somehow the word ‘NaNoWriMo’ bubbled up from my memory and I instantly knew how I could get started. So on September 1, 2009, I created a NaNoWriMo account, began reading the message boards and started contemplating what my novel would be about. By October, I got started on character and plot outlines. By November 1, I was ready. I spent November in the madness we all know and love, and learned that if I put my mind to it, I could actually write something—and it wasn’t half bad. So I kept writing, and won my first NaNo! I was so proud of myself and I didn’t want to stop. I kept writing throughout December, knowing I needed to keep the momentum going—and that I loved the process as much as I always thought I would.

In January of this year, I moved back to Canada from the Middle East, so sadly had to put the pen away for a few months while I transferred my life across the ocean and started fresh in my new home. Just this month, though, I printed the draft of what I wrote during NaNo and have started editing it. When people ask me what I do, I finally feel as though I can say, “I am a writer!”

So thanks, NaNoWriMo, for teaching me that I can do this. I look forward to seeing you for 2010!

Tracey is a 41-year-old Canadian woman who returned home to Canada earlier this year after almost 10 years in Abu Dhabi. Until June 2009, she was a teacher but now she is taking time off to rest and hopefully launch a writing career. She is thrilled to say that she won her first NaNo in 2009 and looks forward to starting again in 2010. She also enjoys movies, travel, good food, good wine, and walks in the park with her husband and dog.

If you were a Municipal Liaison in 2009 and you'd like to return for another exciting year of cheerleading and regional coordination, August 31 is your last chance to re-up. Be sure to fill out your Returning Municipal Liaison Questionnaire by 5 PM PST!

For those participants interested in become a Municipal Liaison for NaNoWriMo 2010, check the Becoming a Municipal Liaison page on September 1 for an updated list of regions that need MLs in 2010.

Forms for new MLs (and new regions!) will go up by the end of the day on Wednesday September 1!

November will be here before you know it!
Nancy

"Some of my favorite characters who had gone on a long vacation and refused to talk to me anymore or to let me write them came back to me."

I've been working on the same story since 6th grade and I'm now a senior at Bryn Mawr College (just to give you an idea of how long the idea of Quest for Prydera has been active in my thoughts). Since my freshman year here, I felt that I didn't have time to write anymore; even though my writing was better than ever, there was simply no time for writing. When I could find the time, I had no inspiration anymore. That all changed this past November, when I decided that Book 1 in my imagined series of 3-7 (depending on how big I make each book) would become my mission for the month.

At first it was hard, but then inspiration returned to me. Then things became harder because the ideas I was getting and the chapters that I was writing didn't seem to fit together very nicely. I realized why: By the end of the first week, I was writing things from all parts of the plot line—first book, last book, and everything in between. Instead of moving things or hitting the delete key however, I decided that the novel was no longer my goal. Instead, 50K word of improvement on the series was. This goal was very happily met by the end of November, and I was thrilled, not only because Prydera was bigger and better than ever (complete with a functioning plot line for the first time in its life), but because some of my favorite characters who had gone on a long vacation and refused to talk to me anymore or to let me write them came back to me.

I had long known that my leading man from 6th grade's initial ideas would no longer quite be the lead, but would still be very important. But until the last week of this past November, I just write couldn't write him anymore—he made no sense to me. He was all over the place and I just couldn't figure out why he was the way he was. Then, thanks to NaNoWriMo and my month of writing, Avvan came back and not only did he now have a full-blown backstory, he was a writeable and readable character again. He's still not my friends' favorite character, but I he's definitely one of mine again, and it is good to have him back. Just last night, I took a break from linguistics research to write 2,000 words dealing with Avvan's past. Before NaNoWriMo, last night would have been impossible. Again, I'm simply glad to have my characters back (all of them). While I know that they were here somewhere all along, it was NaNoWriMo, and the opportunity that it gave me, that allowed me to find them again. I doubt that Prydera or the entire envisioned Galacti-Wizards series will ever hit the shelves of a bookstore, but I really, really hope that someday they do. And if they do, it will only be because NaNoWriMo brought my characters back to me. To conclude, thank you.

Rachel N. Carpenter is currently a senior in anthropology and linguistics at Bryn Mawr College. She works with the Celtic languages, GIS, and has an interest in bioarchaeology. Her early interests were in South American Archaeology; however her recent research involving Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Irish, Scottish, and Manx (yes, it is still around) has moved her archaeological pursuits to the UK, Ireland, and Brittany. A hall advisor and the Bryn Mawr College Fencing Club armoress, Rachel first participated in NaNoWriMo last November. Though she will be extremely busy with two senior theses this coming academic year, she plans to take the 30-day challenge once again.

Thanks to everyone who took home some plot bunnies this week. I'm sure the little critters will settle in just fine, wherever you decide to put them. And remember: If they get ornery, try some Timothy Hay. They love that stuff.

We've been getting emails from first-time Wrimos wondering how to register for NaNoWriMo 2010.

Great question!

If you create an account on nanowrimo.org, you're all set! The website will relaunch around October 1 with all kinds of new features (including the full list of guest-author pep talkers...). Log in to your profile any time after the site relaunches, and your hat will officially be in the ring for the noveling adventure to come.

We're so excited to be writing alongside you this November!

Off to check on my bunnies,
Lindsey

Update 08/05 There are still some bunnies left! Get 'em before they get away!

The summer fundraising drive started today, and that means there are 300 plot bunny prints to be claimed. In exchange for a $50 donation, you’ll get an 8” x 10” illustration of the mythologized little critters that—while adept at distracting you in your noveling pursuits—are also graciously (and cutely) helping us raise money for our 2010 creative writing programs.

With the donations from this drive, we’ll be improving participant writing stats on the NaNoWriMo author pages, expanding our server capacity for NaNo and the YWP, and adding some extra-special flare to the 2010 YWP classroom resources. This sounds like a win/win scenario to me. You get stats, faster and stronger servers, and a frameable print of plot bunnies… and the kids get full-color progress charts, novelists buttons, and a lightning-quick website.

What could be better?

Well, I’ll tell you.

Cake.

Cake could be better. But cake is really hard to ship to our wonderful donors, and typing 50,000 words while eating cake is really hard, so we’re going with what we’ve got. Bunnies!

Get your print now before it hops off to another home.

Lindsey
NaNoWriMo

Chris Angotti, the Young Writers Program Director, and Nancy Smith, Community Liaison, are settled in at their desks and already making some amazing things happen here in the office and out in the OLL-sphere. We’re so thrilled to have their brilliant brains at work on our programs.

You can learn more about Chris and Nancy over on the Staff page, or send them each a warm welcome via NaNoMail. There’s also an interview with Chris over on the blog. Stay tuned for Nancy’s interview to come!

The merch elves and website gnomes are back from vacation and hard at work on NaNoWriMo 2010. We'll keep you posted on their progress.

Happy end-of-July!
Lindsey

"There is no relaxing in a family of ten kids."

NaNo 2009 was my first time participating. I had a story idea. I had characters. I had plenty of time—I usually get up early in the morning anyway, and by the start of the day I'd have at least my word quota done, if not more. One of my sisters and I had recently inherited a laptop from my older brother, and my sister was happy to monopolize the family desktop. So I claimed the laptop, dubbing it 'Buzzy', due to the noise of its fan. And I had support from everybody—my family and friends, especially the ones that were doing NaNo with me.

November 1 arrived and I couldn't wait. By the twelfth day my word count was over 27K. Yes, there were a few days where I'd stare at the computer screen for several minutes at a time, trying to find something to write. There were a few days when I'd only get a couple hundred words done. But by November 30 I had almost 56,000 words.

I thought, "There, that's over and done. I have until June 30, 2010 to get the proof copy, right? That's seven months away. I can relax."

There is no relaxing in a family of ten kids. There were chores, schoolwork, relatives, birthdays, Bible studies, meetings, sign-language classes. Then in January another sibling came along. He had to stay in the NICU for almost a week. Mom and Dad were running back and forth to the hospital, and schoolwork was not getting done. Neither was the story.

One thing that kept me on track was the writing group I'm a part of. Four of the people there had been doing NaNo as well (two had won) and we were all encouraging each other.

When the baby came home, schoolwork started up again. And then we spent a lot of time with the baby, with each other, and I had to prep for the ACT in February. Again, very little time for the story.

The ACT came and went. As a sophomore, I had schoolwork for algebra 2, chemistry, American history from the Civil War forward, and more. Technically I was supposed to do a research paper, but my Mom let me work on the NaNo proof copy instead—but only if I could finish the story in time.

I finished the first draft and started a completely new draft. The characters were the same, but the plot was tighter. I still think it's a mess, really, but it was better. Slightly.

Then one of my sisters and myself went to help a family in another state for a week. Amidst boxes, children, laundry, and what-have-you, there was no story. Mom pushed the deadline ahead a week.

That's really what killed each and every pushed-ahead deadline I had. I was helping other people. There was no problem with that. But the deadline was knocking at my door. Where did those seven months go?

At 11:58 AM on June 30th, I submitted the document. And collapsed on the couch.

When not plotting and imagining, Jamie's interacting with her ten siblings, two parents, wild wacky writing friends, and twenty-five chickens in and around her family's homeschool. She enjoys just about anything except for geometry, grammar, and being social, and she won't bungee jump or skydive. Her main interests are writing, reading, snakes, spiders, lizards, and any dangerous or exotic animal or plant.

We’ve already had our first official RSVP for the 2010 Night of Writing Dangerously! That means there are only 199 spots remaining for the carpal tunnel-inducing, candy-overdosing, noir-themed night of awesomeness that is the NaNoWriMo Write-a-thon.

This will be our fourth annual Night of Writing Dangerously, and it’s going to be the best ever. In addition to the goody bag loaded with loot, a chance at a glorious selection of door prizes, and epic gifts for our top fundraisers, this year’s attendees will receive a limited edition Write-a-thon poster! We’ve seen the first version of the poster, and it is going to be a knock-out. Worth flying to California for? I think so!

In order to be one of the lucky 199, all you have to do is go here and sign up to start fundraising. Once you’ve raised $200, you can RSVP for the event. If you want to bring a guest, you’ll need to raise $300. Last year we had attendees from all over the world, so distance is no excuse! Keep an eye out for airline sales and start stalking Travelocity for hotel deals.

You can make plans, look for a roommate, and hear about last year’s event over in the Write-a-thon forum. Start those fundraising engines, and we’ll see you on November 21!

Starting the candy fast now in anticipation of the Write-a-thon candy buffet,

Sarah
NaNoWriMo

"NaNo came at just the right time to save me from my grief. These 50,137 words mean more than the first three victories ever did or the next however many ever will."

NaNo N'ville 2009 was supposed to be Nashville's best NaNo ever. I, being the ML had poured hundreds of hours, many miles, and my heart and soul into the region long before writers were preparing for the month. They got the calendar and oohed and aaahed—something like 33 events for a 30 day program. How could they not be amazed?

What they didn't know was that the schedule was my way of coping with a deep, dark secret. You see, my Grandmother, the woman who had held baby me for 10 hrs a day while my mother was at work, who had taught me, at the tender age of four, how to mix lemon juice and powdered sugar to make glaze for cookies, who had stacks of old wallpaper books so we could make dollhouses out of old boxes, had Cancer. With a capital C. We had known for a couple years, but this year was different. As summer was turning to fall, we were hearing words like "inoperable" and "incurable" and trying to process it all.

I threw myself—and my region—head first into the whirlpool that was NaNo N'ville 2009. Not only did we have this crazy calendar of events, I had a word goal of 75K—a NaNo and a half. While Mom was in Ohio, I was here, trying to figure out how to put words onto paper while a scrolling marquise in the back of my mind kept reminding me that as soon as this magic was over, I had to plunge headfirst into hell.

It didn't help that Mom called whenever she felt like it—guilting me through write-ins because she'd "forget" that we always met late Sunday morning, or that I had a long standing writing group commitment on the second Tuesday of each month. I was torn between my commitment to NaNo and my Grandmother. Until that fall, I had called her after every write-in and writers group to tell her how it went and if the guy I like showed up or not.

Now I was in a fog, not wanting to leave write-ins because I couldn't turn to her. I hardly had time to hear her familiar "Hello, Dear," and tell her that we had filled a local restaurant to capacity on a night they had stayed open just for us for our Kick Off. The glory of 44 writers at the first write in—three times my highest number up to that point—or our amazingly cool locations 9behind the butt of a 42 foot tall statue of Athena or smack in the middle of the Opryland Hotel) was overshadowed by what was going on.

Ironically, it was a moment of Not NaNo where I kicked this crazy process into hyper-overdrive for me. Sitting next to a friend, who I had always referred to as "He Who May Not Be Named" so that Grandma wouldn't keep asking me how he was, I said that I had to go home or it would be too late. This was a Tuesday, and the upcoming Sunday was the night of the Evening of Scribbling Recklessly, Nashville's answer to the Night of Writing Dangerously. Wednesday, I drove 550 miles to Ashtabula, Ohio, and arrived a little after seven.

The house was suffocatingly still. People used doorways to hold themselves up, waiting for the inevitable. It was November 18, nine days until my birthday, and a mere eleven and a half hours before my world would fall off its axis. I walked into her room and told her I loved her. Her breath was shallow and ragged, and she couldn't speak, so I stood there, holding her hand.

She died less than half a day after I had arrived. Six thirty AM on November 19th. I was twenty-thousand words into a fifty-thousand word requirement. And the Evening of Scribbling Recklessly (ESR) was that weekend.

So the family cried a lot, we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart to by funeral clothes, and I got back into my car to drive another 550 miles back to Nashville. The ESR wasn't just another write in—I had paid for a location, and had piled $2000 worth of donations into my closet in preparation. The event had to go on.

Sunday, November 22, was a pretty day in Nashville. The sun was out, it was warm enough for a NaNo t-shirt and a pair of flip flops, and I arrived promptly to set up the event. The hot guy showed up, worked magic on strands of Christmas lights and folding tables, and helped me turn a dated, 60s era banquet hall into NaNo magic. Writers came from as far away as Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Six hours and 147,063 words later (including over 9K from visiting ML, Cosman!), we cleaned up, and I left my region in the very capable hands of two of my Wrimos. I had managed four or five thousand myself, which was a pretty good feat, especially considering that my ML duties meant that my laptop wasn't even turned on until an hour into the event. Somehow, I had managed to churn out words, although not the important ones I had wanted to write. You know, a Eulogy for the woman who had cheered my victory for the last three crappy novels.

By the time the cats were packed and the car loaded, it was something like midnight. I had another 550 miles to drive—the funeral was at noon, and I didn't have time to rest. Fortunately, the night was on my side, and I made it with about half an hour to spare. My best friend showed up at the funeral home, clung to me for the rest of the day, and somehow I got through. Considering everything, NaNo should have been the last thing in my mind, but I would've given my laptop to get to hear her congratulate me for the write-a-thon's success.

Thirty-seven hours after I had woken up and loaded my car for the ESR, I finally made it to bed.

The rest of NaNo was interesting. I felt detached, like-I-was-floating surreal. I can't say I wanted to be at a write-in, because that wasn't it. I needed to be there. I needed the excitement and the inside jokes. I needed a stupid comment about a moose, a few dozen funny shaped paperclips, and my bag of extension cords and power strips. The morning we spent with Athena seemed twelve lifetimes away, and it was hard to put words on paper.

November 30, I sat at my Uncle's house, sans internet, typing madly. I'd look at the clock between sentences, worried that every second was a second closer to failure. I had refused failure in grand fashion before—14K in the last day my first year as ML—and I wasn't about to let it in this time. If my sacrifices, my week away from my region, the TGIO that I wasn't going to be at (affectionately dubbed the "kick in" by a confused newbie Wrimo), and the sixteen hundred miles of driving that I financed on my almost-maxed Visa card, were for anything, they were for Grandma. And I couldn't let her down.

Her house was empty when I pulled in the drive and walked into the dining room. The internet was at her house, installed for my mother's use in the months she stayed there as primary caregiver. I stuck my memory card into the computer and validated—50,137. It wasn't my goal, but I was a winner just the same.

I went over to her room and stood in the doorway. The crisp, white comforter had been made back onto the bed, a blood red carnation on the pillow, left by Ducro when they took her away. The cold wooden frame held me vertically as I let the emptiness of the room engulf me. Italian music from decades gone by wafted across the room, filling the silence that none of us could quite stand. As I stood there, tears poured down my face.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times before I could make any sound come out. "I did it," I whispered. "I won. You'd be so proud of me." So I could write about boys on quests for kings, Asian violinists and men with boats, but the one thing I wanted to write was conspicuously absent.

Grandma taught me to love unconditionally and to appreciate every success, no matter how small. Ironically, she made it in print almost as quickly as I had—in her case, the lyrics to a song she had written for me that I printed in the literary magazine that I own. She was so proud of that magazine! So, yeah, when she wrote the lyrics out by hand and gave them to me in September, I couldn't imagine not printing them. Her small success had made her as giddy as the little waddling duckies in the song.

NaNo came at just the right time to save me from my grief. These 50,137 words mean more than the first three victories ever did or the next however many ever will. When Ashley-Dylan and his epic quest make the rough matte pages of a real book, I already know what the dedication will say.

As for her Eulogy, I probably would have cried too much to get the words out. They're a few months late, so I can‘t use them to pad my word count, but here they are. To Grandma, with love, from her favorite (four time!) NaNo Winner.

Mandi M. Lynch wrote her first story on an old typewriter at the tender age of five. She later illustrated it herself in crayon. At age twelve, she won a short story contest sponsored by her local library, which her Grandmother never let her forget. Mandi, a four time NaNo ML/Winner, seriously hopes her career didn't peak then. Now, the owner/editor of Ink Monkey Mag lives in the 'burbs of Nashville, TN, with her three cats, DC, Brynn and Alix, none of whom write due to lack of thumbs.

It’s June 24! Do you know what that means? Well, it means a lot of things. It’s Thursday. It’s been 346 years since the founding of the colony of New Jersey and 130 years since the first-ever performance of “O Canada.” It’s Mercedes Lackey’s birthday. It’s 130 days until NaNoWriMo 2010 starts. (Only 130 days! It’s practically next week! Quick, who has a plot bunny I can borrow?)

But of more immediate concern, it is only six days until the CreateSpace offer for 2009 NaNoWriMo winners expires. That means if you want a free shiny paperback copy of your novel, you need to get hopping! More details can be found over on the I Wrote a Novel, Now What? page. If you have questions about the offer, the CreateSpace discussion thread is chockablock with helpful people and suggestions.

Off to hunt the elusive plot bunny,

Sarah

"Every student who won brought a copy of their winner's certificate and we plastered the boards with them. We had streamers, balloons, music, and a pile of manuscripts over six inches thick."

I decided to write a novel alongside my students as they participated in the YWP in 2009. Writing alongside my students was absolutely amazing. We worked through everything together, which is how I came to write the book in the first place. I gave my students the exercise of summarizing their as-yet-unwritten story in a single sentence, and I created an example (something about a former military commander being sent to investigate rumours of an alien threat against humanity). We then fleshed out our sentences into a paragraph (three disasters and an ending). Again, I provided an example. By this time, my students were drooling over the prospect of writing their novels and, to my surprise, they were begging me to write one for the examples I'd given.

50,000 words seemed like an awful lot on top of teaching full-time and raising a family, but I figured if I expected my students to write every night, I should continue to lead by example. Writing, suffering, and sharing together, our passion was infectious. Students who were reluctant to put a single sentence on paper were NaNoMailing me with excerpts and updates. Every morning before the bell, the computers in my class (normally a zone of gaming that only middle schoolers would find entertaining) were crowded with students fighting to "do their NaNoWriMo."

We tracked our progress with the stickers and chart provided to us by the YWP, and we celebrated each person's moment of achieving his or her goal by presenting him or her with an "I eat novels for breakfast" pin. I had students writing their brains out at the very last minute. I met the 50,000-word goal with a few days to spare. One student hit her goal with less than five minutes to spare!

On December 1st we celebrated. We held a TGIO party in the classroom. Every student who won brought a copy of their winner's certificate and we plastered the boards with them. We had streamers, balloons, music, and a pile of manuscripts over six inches thick.

A lot of what was written was paranormal, sci-fi, or CSI-type stories. There were a few high fantasy novels, and a couple bordering on chick-lit, but the majority contained some paranormal element. My students loved hearing updates on my novel, begging for more about its most loveable characte, an alien named Kree. Their attachment to Kree actually led to one student creating a fan site for the little guy!

My students were as invested in my writing as I was in theirs. When the dust settled, and their novels had been read and graded, I decided to edit mine and send it out in the hopes of getting it published. I taught my students to aim high and reach for their dreams, and not to give up at the first setback. I was honest with them—I told them about each and every rejection. At first they were angry, saying things like, "That agent doesn't know what he/she is talking about," but I reminded them that life isn't like a Hollywood movie, and that getting a book published is hard. I explained the query process and talked about how I was editing and revamping my work based on the feedback in my rejections.

The first time an agent asked to see more pages, I thought my heart would explode. When I told my class, they cheered. When the agent ultimately rejected my novel, my students consoled me and told me not to give up. I kept on.

I've been away from my class for a few months, working for a local university in their teacher education program, so I wasn't able to keep them in the loop in terms of what was happening with my manuscript. However, when the offer from Lyrical Press Inc. came through I knew I had to tell them. I arranged to speak with them at the start of their gym period, and the whooping and hollering erupted before I finished my first sentence.

We'd written together, edited together, and suffered the sting of rejection together. My students cheered me on when I was tired (that last week of NaNoWriMo was a killer), and they never lost faith in my book. And like a fairy tale ending, their faith was rewarded.

I thought I was writing a book about aliens and space ships, but in reality it was about discovering and sharing a journey with my students. It may be my name on the book's cover, but the kids in my class are the heart of the novel.

Cheryl teaches middle school in a suburb outside Vancouver, BC Canada, where she participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2009 along with her English Language Arts class. This was her first time participating and her first time winning. While she was thrilled to win, she was even more excited when all but three of her students met their word count goals!

Here at the office, we’re spending our summer months catching up to the rest of the modern world and their newfangled technologies. This week, Chris, Tavia and I had our first encounter with this cool thing called Skype. We used it to interview long-distance applicants for the YWP and Community Liaison positions and, well… it blew our minds. We like it so much that we now Skype with each other in the office. (In fact, by the time NaNoWriMo rolls around I anticipate an all-Skype-all-the-time office environment.)

We’ve also gotten a crash course on using Facebook. Ever heard of it? In two short months, our NaNoWriMo Facebook page has gone from crickets to crazytown. If you haven’t already, check out some of the discussions taking place over there. We have pictures, too!

Off to investigate this MySpace business,

Lindsey
NaNoWriMo

Last week, I posted the news about Tavia moving to full-time Operations Manager, which means we're on the hunt for a new Young Writers Program Director. I'm excited to announce that we're also looking for a full-time Community Liaison.

This is part of a long-standing plan that has me moving to full-time Executive Director for the Office of Letters and Light---NaNoWriMo's parent nonprofit---this summer. I've been serving as part-time ED for the past four years, and we've grown to the point that it's definitely time for me to go into full-time big boss mode. I'll focus on expanding the awesomeness of NaNoWriMo, Script Frenzy, and the Young Writers Program, establishing new organizational friends and connections, making sure that our programs have the funding they need, and ensuring that our websites, products, and materials are in line with our mission.

As part of this change, the great Lindsey Grant will be moving up from Community Liaison to full-time NaNoWriMo Program Director. When we first hired Lindsey two years ago, my biggest thought was: "Holy cow, we got lucky with this one." Lindsey is organized, incredibly hard working, and a hilarious writer. She knows OLL inside and out, having participated in two NaNoWriMos and Script Frenzys, overseen the Municipal Liaison program, and answered thousands of emails from participants. She's got vision and spunk, and I couldn't imagine a better person to take over as NaNoWriMo Program Director.

You'll still be hearing from me plenty through the NaNoWriMo site, blog, and emails. I've also rented several billboards in your hometown that I will be using to publicly shame you should you fall behind on your word count this November. Just so you know.

Lindsey and I are sitting down with staff now to work out the final list of improvements for NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program. It's going to be another incredible autumn of literary abandon (my 12th!), and I'm so excited to be a part of it all.

I'm excited for you to be part of it, too.

Write on!

Chris

"Lucky me—I got to be on NPR, thus fulfilling one of my lifelong intellectual pipe dreams. And with the esteemed Mr. Baty, no less."

Back in 2006, I was frantically trying to reach my 50,000-word quota for NaNoWriMo, certain I wasn't going to make it since I'd lagged behind at the beginning of the month. A few days before the end of November, I responded to a post on the NaNo forums: Guests were needed for a segment on Insight, a program on my local NPR station. The segment was about NaNoWriMo and featured an interview with Chris Baty plus a couple of NaNo participants.

Lucky me—I got to be on NPR, thus fulfilling one of my lifelong intellectual pipe dreams. And with the esteemed Mr. Baty, no less. (Interesting side note: I agreed to participate by phone, but declined to drive in to the station in person, because at 1.5 hours each way, the commute was going to cut severely into my NaNo time!)

During the show, I got to read a passage from my NaNo project on the air, and somehow all of this gave me the motivation to squeak past the 50,000 words by the time the deadline rolled around. I was a winner! I sent a quick follow-up e-mail to the producers of Insight to let them know, yes, I actually DID finish, and thanks again for having me on the show. And, lo and behold, at the end of one of their shows the following week, they announced that I'd finished! I promise that was not an ulterior motive in contacting them, so I was pleasantly shocked when they did.

I kept working on the project, and now, a few years later, I have the incredible good fortune to be able to announce that The Latte Rebellion,a novel for young adults, will be published by Flux Books in January, 2011. And that's a second dream fulfilled...thanks to NaNoWriMo. Here's to future NaNo efforts proving just as fruitful. Cheers!

Sarah is a writer and artist in Northern California who has participated in NaNoWriMo a handful of times (though she's only won once). She is a devoted fan of the ring-tailed lemur.

Join Sarah the intern on a tour of the new OLL digs!

Hi there! After doing an amazing job running the Young Writers Program and serving as Operations Manager these past few years, Tavia will be focusing her talents and vision full-time on the Operations Manager position. We're currently hiring a full-time YWP Director to fill Tavia's (very large) shoes running the Young Writers Program for both NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy.

Know someone you think would be perfect for the position? Check out the job posting, and have them get in touch!

Chris

"With our grades (far more important than our lives) at stake, my friend and I completed our first NaNoWriMo."

I first discovered National Novel Writing Month back in eighth grade with my best friend. Our Language Arts teacher, brilliant (yet occasionally terrifying) person* that she was, allowed us to participate in NaNoWriMo rather than write another book report. The catch was that we HAD to win NaNoWriMo in order to get any credit.

With our grades (far more important than our lives) at stake, my friend and I completed our first NaNoWriMo.

And this year, as a senior in high school, I wrote and submitted an essay about NaNoWriMo for all the colleges I applied to. There were eleven colleges in total; I was accepted to six (wait listed at two, rejected at three. I know I would never have gotten in Yale anyways, no matter what kind of brilliant essay I wrote!). It's because of NaNoWriMo that I was able get into so many colleges.

Thus, I’d like to thank all of you guys! I really love NaNoWriMo, and I’m grateful for its existence.

*Incidentally, said brilliant teacher is now forcing her own students to compete in NaNoWriMo every year. Or so I heard.

Michelle is currently living in a cardboard box in California, and spends her time stealing food from her friends. They tolerate her, knowing that when the destruction of the world comes in 2012, only she will have the necessary spaceship to survive.