November is in full swing and many students at Carleton have free time on their hands again. For many, the month is scheduled around leisure or unfinished assignments. But despite the demanding university lifestyle, some students are planning to take on the daunting task of writing a full-length novel in under 30 days.
November isn’t just a temporary assignment reprieve, it is also the start to NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month.
NaNoWriMo is a non-profit organization that encourages everyone internationally to write their own 50,000-word novel within a month, according to its website. The organization began in 1999, with 21 participants attempting to write their novels, and has grown exponentially, boasting almost 400,000 participants in 2013.
The website states that its purpose is motivating writers with creative minds to publish their work online or on paper. The organization offers a variety of resources, such as online forums and write-in sessions at libraries, to improve the writing and work skills of people who want the extra “push” to finish the month strong.
One of these resources is organized by Helena Verdier, a second-year linguistics and discourse studies student at Carleton. She said she has been a NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaison for three years now, and hosts a variety of write-in sessions, as well as kick-off parties located in the Ottawa region.
Verdier said she stumbled on the site by chance eight years ago.
“Originally it sounded like a cool idea, and now I keep coming back because of the community and friends I’ve made,” she said.
Even though a university courseload can be hard to juggle with NaNoWriMo, Verdier said she tries to reassure her fellow participants that it’s okay to fail. According to Verdier, time management is critical, but winning is not everything, and the skills the month develops are useful nonetheless.
“Once you have had to write thousands of words every day, 2,000 word essays that you have to hand in seem like an easy chore,” Verdier said.
Also equipped with a similar mentality is Nathan Primeau, a third-year English student at Carleton. He said he has participated in NaNoWriMo since 2013, and although he has not won yet, Primeau said he is not discouraged in the least.
To combat his anxiety and perform his best in school, Primeau said his goal this year is to prioritize his courseload over his novel-writing. To juggle both tasks, he said he will focus on short fiction and poetry to refine his writing, and donate to NaNoWriMo since he is devoted to their cause.
The next write-in session at Carleton, hosted by Verdier, is on Nov. 6 at 9 a.m. by the University Centre’s first-floor Tim Hortons, to help participants who need a more enthusiastic or guided environment.
The Ottawa Public Library will also be hosting several write-ins throughout the month.
