i. N ‘ay | a i Ji | 3 i ame = ‘ A] iy oT us Fr ; HI ee ee OL ee 8 Ce ee ee ee | ee Oe ‘National November sete) oe ie = we the passing of Halloween comes a rather divisive month: November. Many hate it, some like it, though most of the time it remains unmentioned until, you know, we're actually living in it. Being the unloved middle-child between turkey and treat-filled October and much loved December, there have been a few initiatives that have sprung up to give “No-Fun November” a bit of life. Movember gives men a reason to sport a moustache the full month through in the name of supporting men’s health, and, believe me, that Lettitor will be coming shortly. What I'll actually be droning on about in this week’s issue is another, less furry facet of the eleventh month: National November Writing Month (which I totally gave away in the title of this Lettitor, but whatever). National November Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo, when youre not trying to make word count) is an event Rm 1020 — 700 Royal Ave. Douglas College New Westminster, BC V3L 5B2 & 604.525.3542 Chandler Walter Editor-in-Chief M editor@theotherpress.ca Jake Wray News Editor M news@theotherpress.ca Davie Wong Sports Editor M sports@theotherpress.ca q@ a x Z. Jessica Berget Opinions Editor M opinions@theotherpress.ca Mercedes Deutscher Social Media Coordinator M multimedia@theotherpress.ca j = that encourages writers to pen a novel throughout November, and has been at it since 1999. According to the website, nearly 385,000 people completed a novel in November 2016, writing down 50,000 words over the course of 30 days— working out to roughly 1,666 words a day. The premise is simple: Write every day, and, if you make word count consistently, you'll end up with a novel- length story by December 1. There’s no guarantee it will be any good, of course, but it will be something to work with in the following months if you choose to reread, edit, and potentially publish the story you created. I’ve been a successful participant for a grand total of one November (I think it was around 2013), and an incredibly unsuccessful participant in the Novembers ever since. The first, and only, year I reached the elusive 50,000 words happened at a @ theotherpress.ca M editor@theotherpress.ca ¥ © /theotherpress f/DouglasOtherPress fe Rebecca Peterson Assistant Editor Massistant@theotherpress.ca Caroline Ho Arts Editor © arts@theotherpress.ca Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor M lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Klara Woldenga Humour Editor M humour@theotherpress.ca Kwiigay iiwans Layout Manager . Mlayout@theotherpress.ca time in my life when I was working part time and taking a year off between high school and college (meaning I actually had some free time on my hands). I managed to throw together a story about a group of aliens landing on Earth titled Just Visiting, and it was much worse than however bad youre already assuming it to be. While I’m not proud of the final product, I am proud of knowing that I am capable of writing that many words ina (somewhat) coherent structure. Since then I’ve tried to participate in NaNoWriMo each November whenever it rolls around again, and each time I fail even more spectacularly than in the year before. It feels good to try, though. To sit down and just write whatever ridiculous conversations, plotlines, or characters pop into my head, and I wish I had the ability to legitimately put time aside to as it November, but every day of the year. This year I made it to 4,000 words before falling behind and realizing that nothing but a marathon weekend would catch me back up, and I’m already expected to write these 400-600 word Lettitors for you all every Sunday, so really, where would I find the time? Or at least that’s what I tell myself, anyway. You know as well as I do that the time is there, it’s just about actually making the most of it. Cheers, Che. hho. Wal Chandler Walter write in that carefree way, not just in Angela Ho Business Manager Jacey Gibb Distribution Manager Lauren Kelly Graphics Manager Elizabeth Jacob Production Assistant Cara Seccafien IHustrator Colten Kamlade Staff Reporter Greg Waldock, Jillian McMullen, and Katie Czenczek Staff Writers Analyn Cuarto Staff Photographer Jerrison Oracion, Ed Appleby Senior Colomnists Duncan Fingarson, Cazzy Lewchuk, Clive Ramoop, Joshua Toevs Columnists Veronnica MacKillop, Bridget Ivery Contributor v v v The Other Press has been Douglas College’s student newspaper since 1976. Since 1978 we have been an autonomous publication, independent of the student union. We are a registered society under the Society Act of British Columbia, governed by an eight-person board of directors appointed by our staff. Our head office is located in the New Westminster campus. The Other Press is published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. We receive our funding from a student levy collected through tutition fees every semester at registration, and from local and national advertising revenue. The Other Press is a member of the Canadian University Press (CUP), a syndicate of student newspapers that includes papers from all across Canada. The Other Press reserves the right to choose what we will publish, and we will not publish material that is hateful, obscene, or condones or promotes illegal activities. Submissions may be edited for clarity and brevity if necessary. All images used are copyright to their respective owners.