Running Buddies: Choosing Companions for Your Literary Marathon

October 17, 2012

There are two sets of people that you will interact with next month when you race away from the sound of the starting pistol into the epic Day One of Nanowrimo. One set of people is imaginary, the other real.

The real people are your fellow Nanowrimo participants—Wrimos, as they are commonly called. Writing is typically a solitary activity, but during November, we can band together in furious frenzies of word-generation and cheer each other on. So take some time to go to the Nanowrimo homepage and select your forum. This is where you can send and receive posts from other Wrimos in your area, and your local coordinators can alert you to nearby write-ins and other activities. And while you’re at it, look up a few of your friends (in the real world) and invite them to write a novel, too. The main thing to remember here is that you are not alone.

Now for the imaginary people. Ahhh, your characters. In this week, as you focus more on the idea of what you will write about in November, consider who is best suited to bring this story about. If you started with your Magna Carta I and II last week, now consider characters who can combine several of those attributes. For one of my Nano-novels,my main character was a 15-year-old math genius who was socially inept. Why? Because I love smart characters, math, and seeing people in socially awkward situations. Who better to be socially awkward than a 15-year-old, let alone a super-smart one?

So as you continue to limber up for you month-long literary marathon, choose some fun people to surround yourself with, and you’ll all get to the finish line together.

Brian M./ wildcaard
Boardwalk Branch