National Novel Writing Month...a.k.a NaNoWriMo

November's not just the month of yellow leaves and huge turkey dinners. Between November 1 and 30 annually, NaNoWriMo creates an opportunity for writers to sit down and crank out a novel from scratch (50,000 words being the goal).

Anne Lamott said, "For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts." And that's the philosophy behind NaNoWriMo: turn off your self-editor, don't worry about anything except quantity, and plunge forward into all the griminess of a first draft.

From their website, here's how NaNoWriMo works:

1) Sign up for the event by clicking the "Sign Up Now" link at the top of the site.

2) Check your email and read the ginormous email our noveling robots send you. It will have "Love" in the subject line, and may be hiding in your Junk folder.

3) Log into your account and use the links on the My NaNoWriMo page to set your timezone, affiliate with a region, and tell us a little bit about yourself.

4) Begin procrastinating by reading through all the great advice and funny stories in the forums. Post some stories and questions of your own. Get excited. Get nervous. Try to rope someone else into doing this with you. Eat lots of chocolate and stockpile noveling rewards.

5) On November 1, begin writing your novel. Your goal is to write a 50,000-word novel by midnight, local time, on November 30th. You write on your own computer, using whatever software you prefer.

6) This is not as scary as it sounds.

7) Starting November 1, you can update your word count in that box at the top of the site, and post excerpts of your work for others to read. Watch your word-count accumulate and story take shape. Feel a little giddy.

8) Write with other NaNoWriMo participants in your area. Write by yourself. Write. Write. Write.

9) If you write 50,000 words of fiction by midnight, local time, November 30th, you can upload your novel for official verification, and be added to our hallowed Winner’s Page and receive a handsome winner’s certificate and web badge. We'll post step-by-step instructions on how to scramble and upload your novel starting in mid-November.

10) Win or lose, you rock for even trying.

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So do some finger stretches and get ready to write on November first! We'll see you again when you stumble back into daylight with triumphant shouts. Learn more and sign up at http://www.nanowrimo.org/.

Lit! Lovers

About to enter its 13th season, Get Lit! is thrilled to have watched its literary festival flourish each year, connecting local, new, and nationally known writers and providing unique opportunities for a wide range of literature lovers. Get Lit! is indebted to its supporters and revenue sources, including community partnerships, business sponsorships, foundation grants, and event ticket sales.

Now, Eastern's College of Arts, Letters, and Education invites you to support Get Lit! Programs. Your gift will allow us to continue bringing quality literary programs to members of our community. Sponsorship options range from $50 to $50,000. Underwrite a festival agent, sponsor a school for one of our educational outreach programs, make an in-kind offer, donate online as a Lit! Lover, or even become the Pulitzer or Nobel sponsor of Get Lit! Programs. Become affiliated with a nationally recognized program while helping

• underwrite international and nationally acclaimed writers and poets.
• expand the reach of this premier literary festival to a greater community.
• ensure that the festival is affordable, offering many events free to the public.
• increase outreach to schools throughout the region, inspiring future authors.
• engage children in the excitement of reading and writing and help improve literacy.
  

Click here to contribute to Get Lit! Programs. For more information about sponsorship opportunities for your company or organization, please contact one of the following:

Deb Blake, College Advancement Director for the College of Arts and Letters at Eastern

dblake@ewu.edu or 509.359.6703

Danielle Ringwald, Get Lit! Programs coordinator

dringwald@ewu.edu or 509.368.6590

And of course, to find out more about Get Lit! Programs and keep an eye on upcoming events, go ahead and visit our website.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines: Short Fiction and Nonfiction

Announcing two fabulous literary contests:

The Inlander's 2010 Short Fiction Contest
The Pacific Northwest Inlander is accepting unpublished fiction between 800-1,500 words with the theme of redemption (which, according to their blog, can be interpreted "any way you want"). The deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m. E-mail (no hard-copy) submissions to michael@inlander.com with "Fiction Contest Entry" in the subject line. One, two, or three winners will be published in The Inlander's Dec. 23 issue, plus--maybe--more online.

Narrative Magazine's Fall 2010 Short Story Contest
Narrative Magazine is accepting fiction and nonfiction submissions for their Fall 2010 story contest, including "short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction." You can submit online through their website. The material must be previously unpublished, and there is a $20 entry fee. First prize earns $3250, second prize $1500, third prize $750 and ten additional finalists get $100 each. (sweet!)

Narrative Magazine focuses on "advancing literary arts in a digital age" by trying to reach readers around the globe. They are a non-profit and the magazine is free online to all readers (for the most part-- they have a subscribers-only "VIP" section of the site with additional material. Sniff.)

Here's part of their mission statement, which is pretty cool:
"Literary readers are more than twice as likely as nonreaders to vote, to volunteer, and to be active participants of the communities in which they live. They are more likely to be healthy, to be hired, to create art, and to achieve both academic and economic success. Reading encourages and develops empathy and emotional sophistication, logical thinking, clear expression of ideas, and the ability to comprehend complex and opposing thought systems. Reading opens minds and changes lives."

Poetry in Motion

Our longest running Writers-in-Residence Program is at Central Valley's Barker High School. For five years, Get Lit! Programs paired local writer Renee Roehl with Barker students interested in exploring creative writing. Students meet once a week for several hours in a writing workshop that explores poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The program continues throughout the school year and results in an amazing anthology of their collected work. Since many of the students continued with Renee year after year, she has seen so many of them grow as writers and as people.

The teenage years can bring with them a keen sense of observation as young adults explore the world around them. The students at Barker have already seen so much and they have some powerful things to say about it. While some of the students prefer to share their guts and glory on the page, I have seen the end of the year performance at the school and have even noticed some of the students sharing with the community at open mics and poetry slams.

Here is one example, a poem on film. Thanks to Eastern's Writers in the Community and local nonprofit TinCan, Jessica Andrew and several other students at Barker High produced this:



Tincan uses information technology and interactive media for education and community development. Jessica was featured in Tincan's October Newsletter. It offers info on what she is doing now.

This month's student spotlight is on Jessica Andrew. Jessica started with Tincan last May through the Subversive project at Barker High School. Since then Jessica has joined the NEA Films 4 Change program at Tincan and has found herself in the producers chair. Jessica, who is extremely organized, makes a perfect producer for the film. She has been responsible for the role of scriptwriter and production scheduler while also recruiting actors and keeping contact with all team members. Jessica is a senior at Barker High School and is currently taking running start classes at Spokane Falls Community College. Her creativity and drawing skills will prove beneficial in her pursuit for a degree in architecture at WSU. Right now Jessica's number one job is taking care of her 20-month-old son.