NaNoWriMo :: NaNoWriMo Blog

GhostwriterIt's that spooky time of year ... and NaNoWriMo is certainly not immune. What could be spookier than a ghostwriter?

Beautifulword found a posting on Elance.com and posted about it in the forums last week. Elance is a freelancer site where people can post jobs for bidding. Someone posted an interesting project (click on the thumbnail to see the actual posting):

I'm looking for someone to ghost write a 50,000 word novel for me during the month of November. Must start on November 1st and finish on November 30th. Must be able to send your written progress at least 5 days a week.

Hmmm ... sounds like a familiar project. A bit like, well, NaNoWriMo! Could someone out there be looking for someone to write their NaNovel for them. The bidding is closed now, you'll just have to take your winner status as your payment for your new novel next month.

I have trouble believing anyone would pay for a first draft of any of my novels sight unseen, I hope everyone else greets such offers with similar doubt. Besides, I'm guessing if you agree to ghostwrite you're giving up your copyright to the novel. That'd be sad. Especially at an average bid of $10.84 an hour.

Laura Rainbow Dragon may be writing a novel during November, but that doesn't mean that she's going to abandon her virtual life. In fact, she's going to be sporting her own virtual NaNoWriMo Tee Shirt in Second Life.

Are you a Second Lifer? Check out her blog for SecLiNaNoWriMos ... and find the rest of your crew on the forums in the Groups & Clubs section for Virtual Worlds.

So what are the other MMORPG folks wearing to show off their noveling?

(Of course the best piece of virtual headgear any wrimo can don is the timeless halo you get for donating to keep NaNoWriMo here year after year.)

It's true, we have many reports of NaNo Forum Withdrawal Syndrome NaNoFoWiSy). Symptoms include twitching, general aches, tendency to send very long emails to friends and of course scribble furiously into a notebook.

I know, it's hard to be without the forums just as we're ramping up into the prep month.

Here are a few ideas for ways to distract yourself for the next week:

1. Proofread your junk mail ... then send it back to them in the postage paid envelope!

2. Plan your wardrobe for November.

3. Plant your own coffee tree.

4. Get ahead on your sleep.

5. Start cooking Thanksgiving dinner now.

6. Re-decorate your workspace.

7. Create a backup plan for your writing.

8. Make more suggestions for productive procrastination here.

See the New York City wrimos profiled in this article from the New York Times:

For a Block of Writers, 50,000 Words in 30 Days
By PHYLLIS KORKKI
Published: December 2, 2006

Here it is, you've reached The End. Well, not really. There's lots to be done. Perhaps you need to write more, you probably want to edit (or at least proofread) ... but most of all you want to recognize this moment. And probably with some of the only people who really understand: other wrimos.

Have you hooked up with your local writers? Your Municipal Liaisons have a special treat this year ... NaNoWriMo Tattoos of Amazing Wordcount Boosting Powers (you think the name is long, imagine what they do for your novel!).

Check in with your regional lounge to find out about all the great get-togethers. If you've affiliated with a HOME region, you'll see the current list of events here. Don't have a group in your area? Fear not, a donation to become one of our Extraordinary Helpers nets you an online halo and an offline tat.

Pictured here is our Word Count Enabled Municpal Liaison Spleen (Robin) from Fort Collins, Colorado who boasts 32,465 words as of tonight. Photo taken by Skyla our Forums Superposter and Equally Word Count Proficient Greely, Colorado Municipal Liaison. (Boy, these long monikers are making my fingers ache but it's the risk you run in November!)

from found_drama - his profile on NaNoWriMo.org ... yes, that cat has an admirable word count.

If you missed the San Francisco Kick Off Party for NaNoWriMo (and with over 50,000 participants, the chance is pretty good), you missed one of Chris Baty's inspirational speeches.

Fear not, you'll be getting equally inspirational emails as the weeks of writing go on.

But mostly you should know that the world is coming to an end. Yes, the Sun tabloid has it on good authority that November begins the end of the world. So if you were ever wondering if this was the year you were going to write your novel, you don't have many choices left. Now or never, baby.

If you haven't visited the forums in the past few days you may have missed the low-key announcement about our new Word Count Widgets.