The Writer 11.2019

writermag.com • The Writer | 19

More than 400,000 writers sign on to

participate – the highest number of par-

ticipants yet.

“In order to write your novel, you must

get rid of this sadist. Do whatever it

takes to shut him up. Chloroform him;

drag him by his white Reebox [sic]

behind the dugout; bury his shrill, cen-

sorious whistle. Then return to your

green, blank, mercifully silent playing

field, and write.” —Karen Russell,

NaNoWriMo pep talk

Hank Green’s novel, An Abso-

lutely Remarkable Thing,

which he wrote in NaNoWriMo

2015, is published. And...it men-

tions NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo writers record

2,791,454,312 words in Novem-

ber – more than three times as many words as the

average person speaks in their lifetime.

“This is what makes you a writer ... the sick feel-

ing in your stomach, the weariness you feel, the

utter conviction that you are the Worst and your

novel is the Worst and everything is awful. This is

how writers feel sometimes. (This is how every-

one feels sometimes.) But writers do not let this

feeling overwhelm them.” —N.K. Jemisin,

NaNoWriMo pep talk

NaNoWriMo’s mantra? Everyone has a story to

tell, and everyone’s story matters. Consider writ-

ing your story with us this November.

NaNoWriMo’s writing guide for teens, Brave the

Page, is published.

“Storytelling is a powerful act. Stories have the

mysterious power to widen hearts and change

minds. The human psyche is never quite the same

after receiving a story.” —Mitali Perkins,

NaNoWriMo pep talk

Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel

Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100

Word Story. He’s published two books on writing: Brave the

Page and Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to

Boost Your Creative Mojo. He’s also published Fissures, a col-

lection of 100-word stories, and Nothing Short of 100:

Selected Tales from 100 Word Story. His stories have

appeared in dozens of literary magazines, including Tin

House, The Southwest Review, and The Gettysburg Review, as

well as in anthologies such as Best Small Fictions and

Norton’s New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction. His essays

on creativity have been published in The New York Times, The

Writer, Poets & Writers, and Writer’s Digest. He also co-hosts

Write-minded, a weekly podcast on writing and publishing.

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