t with VancoWrimo

Local group helps writers succeed at NaNoWriMo

 
     
   
 
   
 
     

‘or a= 4 Fa far
*® stawe S+*-G: a
a eee on ee a

u motivated
ry first draft
‘ash, but it’s
ork you put
erwards."

Jenelle Davies, VancoWriMo
Municipal Liaison

=
uv
(rind
=
co]
7a)
o
fea
o
U
Pa)
He}
i
°
Bp
o
fo
p
al
=

education, different experiences with writing. Some are published,
some aren't published, some aren’t ever interested in publishing and
it's just something they do for fun.”

“It's nowhere near as intense as November is, but it's a good way
to give yourself a couple hours each week to keep writing and keep
going,” said Wanden, who hosts a year-round weekly Write-In at Waves
Coffee House in Vancouver.

Local author Tanya Lisle has participated in NaNoWriMo since
2005 and frequently attends the New Westminster weekly Write-
Ins. She’s turned several of her 50,000-word NaNoWriMo stories into
published books, which she sells on her website, TanyaLisle.com, and
at local conventions. Her books have also been added to the Vancouver
Public Library catalogue.

“When | first found out my books were on library shelves, | couldn’t
believe it. | had to go in person to see it for myself,” she said to the
Other Press in an online interview. “The fact that one of my books is
actually sitting on the shelf right by Holly Lisle’s books is just an honour.
| dreamed of the day it would happen and it actually has.”

However, it isn’t an easy task for a writer to take a NaNoWriMo
novel of 50,000 words written in a month and turn it into a manuscript
worthy of publication, according to Lisle.

“My NaNoWriMo drafts tend to be a lot rougher than drafts | write
the rest of the year,” she said. “If I'm using the month to write the first
book in a new series, there’s typically a lot of structural problems and |
won't always find the voice of my characters until halfway through. It’s
not uncommon for those drafts to require a complete rewrite before my
editor gets his hands on it.”

Davies hopes to get her NaNoWriMo work published in the future
and sees authors who turn NaNoWriMo projects into published books
as an inspiration to keep working on her own novel.

“It keeps you motivated knowing every first draft feels like trash,
but it's about the work you put into it afterwards,” she said.

Initially, Davies had doubts about doing NaNoWriMo because she
didn’t know anyone else who was participating. But she decided to try
the competition when she discovered the VancoWrimo community in
2016 at the group's KickOff launch party.

“It was the Kickoff that got me excited and made the Write-Ins not
so scary to attend as somebody who is really new to that world and not
knowing anybody,” she said.

“The Kickoff is always a great way to connect with the network
of VancoWrimo,” Wanden said. “Especially for people when it's their
first time doing NaNoWriMo in Vancouver or doing NaNoWriMo at all,
you're going into it with a network that you know.”

The first VancoWrimo event Wanden attended was a library Write-
In in 2016, which left a lasting impression on them during their first
NaNoWriMo in Vancouver.

“It was the last VancoWrimo event that | went to with full use of
both my legs because two hours later | dislocated my knee and did
the whole month of NaNoWriMo on crutches,” they said. “Dragging
myself around the city from event to event was amazingly fun. | couldn’t
work while | was injured so | had nothing else to do but go to every
single Write-In in Vancouver. I’ve kind of seen the full spectrum of what
VancoWrimo has to offer.”

On October 28, VancoWrimo will be hosting its 2018 Kickoff
launch party at Moose’s Down Under restaurant and bar in downtown
Vancouver. Past launch parties have included games, prizes, and lots of
lively discussions about participants’ upcoming projects.

“We'll reveal some things at the Kickoff,” Levine said. “That's one
of the benefits of coming to the Kickoff: You get in on what's going on.”

During November, VancoWrimo will offer weekly Write-In events
across the Lower Mainland at libraries and coffee shops, as well as a
Transit Write-In on the SkyTrain on November 17. For those who cannot
attend Write-Ins in person, there is a virtual Write-In happening in the
NaNoWriMo chatroom every Friday night in November, hosted by
Wanden and featuring the other Municipal Liaisons Levine, Davies, and
Mellesmoen.

To participate in the month-long challenge, go to NaNoWriMo.
com, sign up for a free account with an email address, and then enter
the details of your project. Once November 1 hits, you can begin
writing your novel and enter the number of words written into the word
counter.

Good luck in reaching your goal this year!