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| | + | = About Novel Quest = |
| | == Have you ever dreamed of writing a novel? == | | == Have you ever dreamed of writing a novel? == |
| | + | Every year people around the world take the plunge and become an author during the month of November. If you've always wanted to write a novel, or try to write a novel, then this is the year to take advantage of Novel Quest. It is a free, annual challenge that takes place every November, where novelists strive to start, write and complete the writing project of their choice (e.g., write the first draft of their 50,000+ word novel in just 30 days or spend 50 hours of editing to get their novel to its next phase). |
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| − | November is National Novel Writing Month, a free annual event helping to motivate writers to start and complete a 50,000 word novel in thirty days. In 2007, over 100,000 people worldwide participated. Nearly 15,000 of them successfully crossed the finish line. Last year in the Chicago Western Suburbs region (centered in Naperville) an amazing 60 out of 129 participants achieved winner status.
| + | Our Novel Quest region of Naperville represents the cities and suburbs west of Chicago and has partnered with area libraries to offer preparatory workshops. |
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| − | Our region finished 47th in the world (out of 344 regions) in total word count, ahead of Detroit, France and Ottawa (in Ontario, Canada).
| + | We also partner with many area libraries to offer write-in events in November for people to use to work on their novel while others around them are working on theirs. For more information see the [http://naperwrimo.org/crawl Library Crawl] page. |
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| − | The fun begins Saturday, October 4th, 1-3 pm at the 95th Street Library, which will be hosting a two hour kick-off event to give people enough time to successfully prepare for their November writing marathon. NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaisons will be on hand to answer your questions and guide the preparatory exercises. Two other October events to be scheduled will focus on different aspects of your novel writing planning.
| + | All participants and their friends and family are welcome to attend the TGIO party. Come visit http://naperwrimo.org for '''[http://naperwrimo.org/events more detailed event information]'''. Fulfill your dream of becoming a novelist. |
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| − | Starting midnight November 1st, you can begin the actual novel writing. The 95th Street Library will host write-in events 1-4 pm each Sunday in November. All participants and their friends and family are welcome to attend the TGIO party December 13th at the Naperville Municipal Center. Come visit http://naperwrimo.org/2008 for local event information. Fulfill your dream of becoming a novelist. See http://www.nanowrimo.org and send your questions to naperville_il -AT- nanowrimo.org.
| + | = Frequently Asked Questions = |
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| − | == Frequently Asked Questions == | + | == Frequently Asked Questions == |
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| − | Q: What does this cost? <br/> | + | Q: What does this cost? <br> |
| − | A: Absolutely nothing is required. Donations to cover the nanowrimo.org website and administrative costs are accepted but are not necessary. | + | A: '''Absolutely nothing is required''' to participate in Novel Quest. |
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| − | Q: What do the winners get? <br/> | + | Q: What do the winners get? <br> |
| − | A: A PDF file proclaiming them NaNoWriMo winners if they manage to complete at least 50,000 words in 30 days. More importantly, the happiness of completing at least 50,0000 words of a novel. In addition, Lulu.com has been giving winners a free paperback copy of their completed novel (though this sadly did not happen in 2007). | + | A: A PDF file proclaiming them winners if they manage to complete their pre-stated project goal (e.g., 50,000 words written in 30 days). Each participant can set their own goal. More importantly, winners achieve the happiness of completing their writing or editing project. |
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| − | Q: 50,000 words in 30 days seems foolhardy... <br/> | + | Q: Where can I find out more information about the local events?<br/> |
| − | A: Actually, it turns out to be roughly 1,670 words per day, which turns out to be manageable. There are some exceptionally prolific writers who produce four times that amount... but many just barely get over the hump. The NaNoWriMo website and online discussion forums provide a lot of support; and we are organizing some weekly meetings locally for participants to use for writing and discussing their work. | + | A: Check out the '''[[2024 Events]]''' page for detailed information about the local events. |
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| − | Q: Do I have to publish my novel? <br/> | + | Q: 50,000 words in 30 days seems foolhardy... <br> |
| − | A: No. Some participants share their novels with other participants for critiquing; a few participants have had their NaNoWriMo novels published. There are no requirements here. | + | A: Actually, it turns out to be roughly 1,670 words per day, which turns out to be manageable. There are some exceptionally prolific writers who produce four times that amount... but many just barely get over the hump. |
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| − | Q: What about my privacy? <br/> | + | Q: Do I have to publish my novel? <br> |
| − | A: While you do have to provide an e-mail address in order to register, the NaNoWriMo forums give participants fine control over what information is made available to others. E-mail address and identity information can be concealed and the NaNoWriMo team has a strong privacy policy. E-mail addresses are not shared or sold and you have to explicitly sign up to receive e-mail announcements from the NaNo team during November. | + | A: No. Some participants share their novels with other participants for critiquing. There are no requirements here. |
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| − | Q: How do I sign up? | + | Q: How do I sign up? <br/> |
| − | A: Sign-ups can be done through the http://www.nanowrimo.org website beginning October 1, 2008. The NaNoWriMo contest proper begins at 12:01 midnight November 1st. | + | A: We recommend you go to [our Novel Quest substack|https://novelquest.substack.com/] and subscribe to stay informed about our programs. |
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| − | Q: Who coordinates things for the Chicago Western Suburbs region? <br/> | + | Q: Who coordinates things for the Chicago Western Suburbs region? <br> |
| − | A: We (Tim Yao, Melinda Pfeiffer-Borucki, Meredith Brasher and Katherine Lato) are volunteer municipal liaisons for the Chicago Western Suburbs region of NaNoWriMo. We are enthusiastic participants of previous NaNo's who want to help others find the joy of completion that we've found. We organize the kick-off writing session, weekly writing sessions and the TGIO party at the end. | + | A: We (Tim Yao, Sam McAdams, Jenny Johnson, and Jenn Bauer) are volunteer Quest Guides for this region of Novel Quest. We're here to organize the local events and help answer questions. |
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| − | Q: Say I join the region, what do I do next? <br />
| + | If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at mliaisons -AT- naperwrimo.org |
| − | A: If you haven't already done so, please come to our [http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&topic_id=1028&forum=240 welcome] thread and post a note introducing yourself to the other participants. You can say something about who you are and what you are writing. There are several other threads of interest in our [http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/200 regional forum]. You can also [http://naperwrimo.org/wiki/map2008.shtml place yourself on our regional map] and [http://naperwrimo.org/wiki contribute to our regional wiki site] that is going to serve as an example of next year's official NaNo wiki engine.
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| − | You can also go to [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nanowrimo-west-suburbs/ the yahoogroups nanowrimo-west-suburbs e-mail list] and subscribe to it. This list is used for communications within the group during the normal year and especially for planning in preparation for the next NaNoWriMo.
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| − | If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at naperville_il -AT- nanowrimo.org
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| − | == hipster PDA == | + | = Resources = |
| | + | == Which Novel Writing Books are Recommended? == |
| | + | See [[Book Recommendations|Book_Recommendations]] |
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| − | The [http://merlin.blogs.com/43folders/2004/09/introducing_the.html hipster PDA] is a cool, retro-low tech solution to information management. One uses a collection of blank and written 3x5 index cards bound with a binder clip or collected in a special carrier to jot down notes. Here are some pertinent links:
| + | == What other resources are there? == |
| | + | Glad you asked. We have a [[Useful_references_for_writers]] page where there are a lot of links collected! |
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| − | * [http://gurno.com/adam/j2/index.php?p=44 Tricking out the hipster]
| + | == What happened with NaNoWriMo? == |
| − | * [http://radio.weblogs.com/0114670/categories/hipsterPda/2005/06/14.html Hipster PDA: Plans, Ideas, Information ... all in the back pocket]
| + | See the [[Old NaNoWriMo FAQ]]. |
| − | * [http://www.douglasjohnston.net/weblog/archives/2005/06/11/diyp2_hipsterpda/ D*I*Y Planner Hipster PDA Edition]
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| − | * [http://www.slowburnproductions.com/2005/09/hipster-pda-tips-for-people-obsessed.html Hipster PDA Tips for People Obsessed With Productivity Pr0n But Bad At Actual Productivity]
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| − | * [http://www.43folders.com/2005/01/organizing_your.html Organizing your Hipster PDA]
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| − | | + | <headertabs /> |
| − | == Which Novel Writing Books are Recommended? ==
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| − | See [[Book_Recommendations]]
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