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Oct. 3, 2006 It’s almost that time of the year again—time when those with the desire, the drive and the dedication take up one of the greatest challenges offered in modern literature. Yes, friends, we’re now less than one month away from National Novel Writing Month. For those of us who have manned up and taken the bull by the horns, we simply refer to it as NaNoWriMo. It took me a total of 47 days (22 last November and 25 the November before) to generate the over 100,000 words contained in two hilariously bad novels. I don’t know if I’ve written that much for Useless-Knowledge over the last two years. Nonetheless, I’m proud of what I’ve done. And if all goes according to plan, there’ll be another 50,000-word novel with my name on it registered with the Copyright Office this time next year. There’s a big difference between writing a single column for Useless-Knowledge and writing a novel in 30 days. The difference is revision. As in, to write over 1,600 words per day, the concept of revision must be tossed out the window. Quantity is the objective, not quality. Of course, there’s nothing that says you can’t revise while you write, but that kinda defeats the purpose. Back in 2004, I did this challenge solo. Last year, Judy Ramsook took up the challenge with me, and she hung right in there. It was wonderful having Judy as a partner; her encouragement and positive spirit keep me chugging along. So who among you will join me this year? We’ve got a few novelists among our regulars, including Michelle Malsbury and Timothy Stelly. A few of you post enough useless knowledge here in a month to make a novel—Michael John McCrae and Tom Pain, that means you—so if you’ve never written a novel, don’t let that minor detail stop you. There’s no grand prize involved for hitting 50,000 words. There won’t be national recognition in the papers or on TV. But having done NaNoWriMo twice, I know what the ultimate reward is. It is holding half a ream of paper in my hands and knowing that I created something on that paper that no one can ever take away from me. The madness begins on at midnight, in whatever time zone you happen to be in, on Wednesday, November 1, and ends on midnight on Thursday, November 30. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written over 100 articles for Useless Knowledge. He has also written the unpublished novels The Writer's Nightmare and Santa's Sleigh Is Missing. He works as a business analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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