Earplugs and a Donkey Named Clippity

or What Readers Really Want Writers to Talk About on Their Blogs

I just love this social media thang. 

Last week, the talented sports pro (dressage) and writer, Debby Lush, contacted me via email to ask about a comment I made on writer KD Rush's blog. My comment was basically that I'm surprised so many writers keep blogs that seem to be intended for other writers, and not for current or potential readers.

This is what I mean: Most of the blogs I see writers promoting via Twitter are filled with posts about the craft of writing, or the publishing industry, or other general ruminations on writing. There's nothing wrong with this. Unless, of course, writers hope to build a readership through keeping a blog. Then, they have a problem.

Because here's the thing: The majority of readers are not aspiring writers. Readers are no more interested in the top ten rules for building suspense than football fans are interested in the top ten practice drills for improving a player's footwork. If you write stories that keep us up until 3 AM because we could not go to sleep without reading what happens next, then we're as happy as a Patriots fan after Brady throws a touchdown pass. But posts about how to keep us turning the page? Bo-ring.

Readers are interested in the product, or in the specific experiences, thoughts, or beliefs that led to its creation.

As a reader, I will read a writer's blog to gain insights into what makes her writing speak to me. Think of a different type of artist to whom you are drawn--a particular painter, or an elite athlete, or a culinary artisan. What would you want to know about him? You would want to know what makes his work or performance so beautiful, because in learning about what goes into his work, you will learn about yourself because his work speaks to you. You probably wouldn't want him to repackage the same sort of information you can get anywhere about his craft in general--cooking rules, how to paint with oil, how to train for the Olympics. I know I wouldn't.

So, blogging writers, listen up! This is what we readers hope to find when browsing your blog or website. 

Your writing. 

 This is particularly important if we haven't yet read your writing—Readers want a link right in the top navigation bar that will bring us to a short sample of what you believe to be your very best work. We'll start there, and if your words speak to us, we'll dig around the rest of the site.

Your bio. 

 When we click on the “about” link, we're going to be ecstatic to find information about the books that you read and loved in childhood, young adulthood, and now. We will relish little stories about the first time you mustered up the courage to write for someone else, or how you started out by writing love letters to boys in elementary school. In other words, we want to know you as a writer. (Not your ideas about writing, but you.) We want an idea of how certain experiences shaped you into the writer that you are today.

Your favorites. 

 We readers often decide to check out a new author's books after learning that we share a common love for a particular book, movie, or quote. We love it when authors divulge details about the specific titles or lines that they cherish. If the same piece speaks to both of us, then we're willing to guess that your writing will speak to us. You can list these in your About page, or better yet, write separate blog posts--about your favorite lines you've collected and saved from books over the years, your favorite books, your favorite authors, etc. When you write about them, share where you were when you read it, what it made you think about, how it changed you. These are the details that might win over a new reader.

Your stories. 

 This is a really big one, and you could get countless blog posts out of it. Tell us about your stories! I wish blogging writers would write more posts about the worlds and characters they've created. Write a post about where you were when the first tiny little seed of an idea for a character or setting or scene crept into your mind. Tell me what you remember from that moment, the way the air smelled, what you were eating, whom you were with, how your skin pricked because you knew you had just met a new character whose story you had to tell.

Your mind.  

We'd love to read about what it's like living with these people and places in your head. I imagine every writer has a different experience, and we want to know about yours. Do you see the characters as real people who have, for whatever reason, taken up space in your mind and asked you to tell their story? If so, tell us about this—do you talk to your characters? What is the last conversation you had? Have you ever experienced something in your normal life and unexpectedly seen it through a character's eyes? If so, tell us! What were you doing, how did your character's perspective change what you took away from that moment? We want details! We relish in the details about your characters and your stories and how they come to you in the same way a teenage girl relishes in the details about her current crush's favorite band, color, t-shirt, etc.

Your Zone.  

Where do you write? What does it look like? What totems or pictures or quotes do you keep in your writing zone? Where did they come from, and how do they help you. We want the deets!

Your reading habits. 

We want to know what you're reading, and what you think about it. Post reviews of the books you read on your blog, or share a list of the latest titles you've bought and why you bought them. And, if you have a Goodreads or Shelfari account, make sure you populate your bookshelves with titles. Readers who are serious enough to be on Goodreads are not going to be interested in reading your work if we see that you don't really read much, yourself. We know that means your writing could probably use a lot of improvement. So, if you aren't interested in filling those shelves, don't join Goodreads, it will turn-off potential readers if we think that you aren't an active reader.

In other words, let us into your world.  

Your mind. readers want your website to tell us a story about you and what you've created. We want to feel like we know you. And you want us to feel like, if given the chance, we would jump at the opportunity to chat with you over a cup of tea. Because as a reader, that's what we do—we spend hours with you, reading your words, seeing a slice of the world through your eyes. A website is the perfect place to start that conversation, if only more authors would let us in!

There are some great books about writers that do these very things. 

How I Write, The Secret Lives of Authors, edited by Dan Crowe, is a beautiful collection of anecdotes and photos from published writers and the details that fill their worlds.  In it, author Nicholson Baker shares about his reliance on earplugs to get to work. Writer Lionel Shriver shares a picture of a strange little donkey figurine named Clippity, who sits on her desk to remind her to "eschew fancy-schmancy character names groaning from overloads of symbolism, and to sometimes prefer the obvious." Earplugs and a donkey named Clippity. These are the details we readers relish.

Or, there's Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. It's a guide to writing, so she wrote it to appeal to writers. But the thing about it is that I wanted to read her work after reading this book because she shared so many little insights into what she puts into her stories, that I finished the book absolutely certain that I would love her writing. 

This is in stark contrast to a blog post that lists out rules for writers without divulging any information about the person who actually wrote the post. Or worse, a blog post about the publishing industry in general. Readers just aren't interested in any of that. If readers are reading writers' blogs, it's to find writers who leave a part of themselves on the page. Do that in your blog, and we'll have faith that you do that in your books. And then you've just won yourself a new reader.

So, writers, there you have it. If you're blogging to develop a readership, consider sharing a bit of yourself in your posts. What are your earplugs? Who is your donkey named Clippity? 
And, if you don't share these things on your blog, what's holding you back?
And, fellow readers--What things do YOU wish writers would share on their blogs?

Your readers are waiting. Won't you let us in?

Chuck Wendig's Flash Fiction Challenge

The Unlikable Protagonist

Chuck Wendig says Write and I say How long? 

You’ve got up to 1,000 words to write a tale featuring an unlikable protagonist that still remains readable and compelling. 

Here's my entry. Comments welcome.

What's Inside

Lori Oster

The boys kept their eyes on the wide front window. It always started with a small flick of the drapes. Their bikes stood at odd angles, each within an arm's length. It had become almost too easy, lately. She was getting slow.

Kevin stood the farthest in from the safety of the sidewalk. Seth and Micah hung back, their hands clamped tightly in the hardened work gloves. Any other day, Seth would have been embarrassed to ride his sister's bike with its white banana seat and wicker basket. But today it was just what they needed.

They all stiffened as the low whine pierced through the air. Kevin lifted a fat canvas finger to his lips, then towards the metal weather vane on the old lady's roof. They resumed breathing as he ventured closer to the dilapidated porch.

Kevin bent down in front of the first one and looked back at his friends. He bugged his eyes and jutted his chin at them. Seth crouched forward as he moved in. Micah kept his eyes on the window and took slow, measured steps.

They thought it would be a quick job, that it would come out as easily as the last time. The thorns seemed the only new obstacle, but that's what the gloves were for. Kevin smashed his features in as he pulled, his face flushing with the effort. Nothing.

Micah leaned back on his hands to peek through the porch rail. The drapes hung untouched, but they knew she was in there. Always was. Last time she'd come out with a real shotgun. They knew it was real because she fired it. Kevin swore she aimed at the sky, but Micah wasn't so sure.

Now Seth was going at it too, his face nearly as red as the prized petals shaking from his effort. It wouldn't budge.

Micah saw it first. The fabric moved languidly, as old and tired as its owner. Desperate to get at least a small haul, they all three grabbed handfuls of stems and ripped them away before they raced back to their waiting bikes. The basket wasn't full, but at the sight Kevin felt a small flush of victory bubble up above the metallic taste of fear. The bitch deserved it. He would have raked the thorns across her papery face if he had the chance.

There was no gunshot this time. She did nothing more than open the wooden door and peer out at them through the bug-mottled screen. They knew she'd make them hurt, anyway. She did it to all the kids, even the ones who never set foot on her property.

This was only Micah's second time. His first was the week after she'd called his parents, told them about him and Kate Conroy in the school bathroom. How she found out, he'd never know. But Micah's father drank an entire handle that night, and Micah had the bruises to show for it.

The first time he freed a beam from her porch rail. That was when she used the shotgun. Emboldened by the rush of revenge, Micah drove two nails into his bedroom wall and placed the rail on top of them. A prized trophy.

She stood behind the screen long after the boys pedaled off. The muscles of her jaw pumped beneath the thin, translucent skin. She didn't bother to move the wiry hair that stretched across her face in the breeze. She just steadied her breath and repeated the old mantra to herself: In time, the truth will out. In time.

Her words held the slant of a trained hand, though she could no longer steady her wrist, so the letters jutted out at aggressive angles. They were legible enough. She would heed the reminders tomorrow, when the parents would be at work and easily found. It's hard to hide in a small town.

She performed all the necessary tasks before she headed to her small room, and lowered herself into the deep rut that cradled her tired body all these years. She had forgotten to switch off the light, but she was too tired now to get up and do anything about it.

Days later, Kevin insisted that they go back and finish the job. Micah hesitated. This was the first time she hadn't retaliated. Seth was sure she had, but that whatever she revealed had been too unbearable for the victim to share with the other kids. Sometimes it happened that way. They shared an unofficial moment of silence then, Darby Sugarbaker's limp body flashing in all of their minds. The long note. The things left unsaid after the “accident”.

They loaded the basket with the gloves. This time, Kevin brought a switchblade. Nobody had to ask where he got it. Without realizing it, Kevin rubbed the scar on the left side of his neck and shoved the blade in his pocket. Seth and Micah looked down. Some scars were harder to hide.

They heard the sirens before they made the turn onto her street. The boys initially feared the cops were waiting for them. Seth leaned forward, crushing the basket with his elbows. They hopped off their bikes in unison, and walked towards the house.

The gurney almost looked empty, she was so small. Her slippered feet poked out from the end of the sheet. Kevin recoiled. He always pictured her bigger.

A man called from the back of the house. Sheriff Buckley emerged minutes later, his hat clutched to his chest, head shaking. “It ain't easy to hide a thing as big as that in a town this small.” He turned to the three boys, “Did ya'all know she had a vegetable of a grandson in there?” They stared back blankly. “Hell if I know how she kept him so well.”

When the story came out in the local paper, Micah's mom shook her head and said, "You never can tell what's inside, sweetheart. Never can tell" 

© Lori Oster, 2012

Writers: It's Time You Own It.

I'm talking about your writing, of course. 

It's time you own it like 

that pair of heels you bought on a killer sale 

and you couldn't be prouder to wear.

(Sorry, gentlemen. I can't relate to being excited about electronic purchases, 

so this is as good as it's gonna get.)

I love author Kristen Lamb's blog. It's filled with follow-worthy advice, complete with some of the best post titles I've ever seen.

In one particular series of posts, Ms. Lamb discusses the "Lies that can poison our writing careers."

"Lie #1 I’m not a real writer until I have a finished manuscript, landed an agent, am traditionally published, am selling books, have spent my retirement funds earning an MFA in Creative Writing."

This first one got an immediate "Amen!" from me. I've had the honor of meeting many writers over the years, and one thing I noticed is that so many writers are afraid to call themselves writers, most often for the reasons Ms. Lamb detailed in her post.

But they are writers. They became writers the moment they sat down and started writing, and they remain writers because they have continued that habit for the month, year, or decade since.

So, if you're a writer but you aren't owning the title yet, what are you waiting for? Get thee to Kristen Lamb's blog!

You're still here? Fine, I'll keep talking. I can do this all day.

Lie #2 really spoke to me. It's this:

"Lie: I will take my writing more seriously when others (friends, family, the FedEx guy) take me seriously."

Oh, do I need to work on this one. It's all about setting boundaries and putting your writing first, and taking yourself seriously so others will, too. Ms. Lamb inspired me to take immediate action with this post, and I already feel better for having done it. Aaaaaah.

And do you know what? The blog posts are just the beginning. Each post gets tons of great comments, with even more wisdom and advice from Ms. Lamb sprinkled in. And, she writes books. That's right, real books. Ones you should buy.

The deets: We Are Not Alone–The Writer’s Guide to Social Media and Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer. Both books are ON SALE for $4.99!!!!

So writers, this is me spreading the writing love. Go visit Ms. Lamb's blog.

You can thank me later.

Revisions, Revisions: Internet Creep and The Dread Pile

I finished the first draft of a YA book in October (I'll call it Book #1). But, then I put Book #1 in the trunk so I could focus on NaNoWriMo in November, during which I wrote about half of a first draft of another book (Book #2).

And then . . . December came along and I trunked both books so I could spend my winter break revising my 90-page reading packet, which I did, and read a lot of books, which I did. I also wrote some short stories and jotted down a lot of ideas for future pieces. I reread that first draft of Book #1, but I didn't do any revising of it. I just took notes, and schemed in my head. 

Finally, January hit, and it was time to start revisions for Book #1. It all began innocently enough. I curled up in my writing zone with my laptop, pulled up the latest file of the draft, and got to work. Those first few days of revisions were glorious: The coffee maker was going strong, its percolating made fine background music for my work. My husband made sure I was stocked with enough cream and sugar to last a lifetime, thanks to some Costco purchases. And the book! Oh, the book. I was really enjoying it. This was a good sign.

But then, after a while, it happened. Internet Creep. We've all experienced it. Some of you might be experiencing it right now, using this blog post as an excuse to let your very own Internet Creep ooze in a bit closer. See, the problem with revising on a laptop, for me at least, is that this is the very same tool with which I access the Internet.

When I reached the first Hairy Moment in my revising process, what did I do? Did I dive into it, comb in hand, to tease out the knots? Um, no. I gave a deep sigh, minimized the document window, and opened up Firefox. In less than five minutes, I had downloaded four free books for my Kindle, retweeted seven tweets about free books, read both my work and personal emails, and started a draft of a new blog post.

Something had to give. The Internet was creeping in, and fast.

So, I did what most of us do when faced with a conundrum nowadays: I Googled it. How do you deal with Internet distractions when revising your novel? (Yes, yes, I know you don't have to write your Google search terms in complete sentences. My husband reminds me of that all. the. time. I like it, okay?)

The search brought me to some great blog posts about my exact problem, and they all offered the same solution: Print out your manuscript, and edit it by hand. 

I knew the Internet sages were going to say that.

I wasn't so sure I was really cut out for handwritten revisions, so pfbbbbtted their advice, clicked out of Firefox, and went back to my manuscript.

Which . . . lasted for about ten minutes. Then some fleeting thought about an email I didn't return crowded into my mind, and there it was again, Internet Creep, creeping into my revision time. That was when I started making bargains with myself, which we all know is the clearest sign of desperation. Revise an additional 10% of the book today, or print it out tomorrow. No exceptions. Man, am I rigid.

So, with renewed energy I went back to my manuscript, and I actually had a good run. For a bit. And then I looked over and saw my cat Manny looking Cuter Than Ever on his favorite pillow, so I rushed to grab my camera and snap a picture. And then I had to share the picture with everyone I know, of course, so I uploaded it to iPhoto, and then to Facebook, and then . . . twenty minutes later I was reading some article about a reality TV star I had never even heard about and her incredible weight loss. And that's when I knew. I would have to print the manuscript, because the Internet Creep was just too overwhelming.

Look at those paws. I mean, could you have resisted?

So, I told my long-suffering husband my new plan: "Honey, after our workout, can we stop at Kinko's so I can print my 328-page manuscript? It will only cost about $37. I know I could save the money, but the Internet is too distracting, so I can't do it on my laptop." In his usual fashion, he supported me without question, and if he rolled his eyes he hid it well enough, because I didn't see it.

Confident that I had finally solved my problem, and would be in Revisions Happyland shortly, I headed out to the gym with my jump drive tucked into my wallet. We worked out, and then went to Kinko's, where they gladly took our $37 to print my document. It all went down without a hitch, confirming my good feeling that this was the right choice for me.

I rode home hugging the box on my lap. It was an exciting thing to see my entire draft printed out for the first time, it made the whole thing seem so real. I felt the same way when I got my first pair of ballet slippers--my mom bought me this matching plastic pink carrying case, and all the way home I held it tight against my chest and thought, "One day I will be a famous ballerina, and I'll remember this moment, when I got my first pair of slippers."

Okay, well, that didn't really work out for me, the whole ballerina thing . . . but this time it will be different.

It was late by the time we got home, so I slipped the manuscript box onto a high shelf, and went to bed with visions of revisions dancing in my head. Tomorrow will be the day. Tomorrow I will sit, hunched over the manuscript, and mark that baby up like it's a hastily written freshman essay.

So, today is the tomorrow of which I dreamt, and here I am, NOT revising. Of course I'm not revising, I'm writing a blog post! And it's turning out to be a long and boring post, so I'm taking my time doing it.

You may be asking Why? Why are you not revising?  What happened to all that resolve?

Oh, I'll tell you why. No, better yet--I'll show you:

Do you see the size of that thing? It looks like a full ream of paper! That thing is so heavy, I can't even hold it in one hand for fear of getting carpal tunnel.

I can't revise that monster!

And what's worse: it looks like The Pile! But a terrible, horrible version of The Pile, because it's not other people's writing, it's my own! All of those writers who doled out their sage advice to revise first drafts by hand must not be English teachers, because every English teacher knows that the easiest way to discourage another English teacher from reading something is to make it resemble The Dread Pile. We spend decades perfecting the high art of moving The Pile around from one spot to another to create the illusion that it has been examined or altered in some way. But all we really do is add to The Pile and use it as a target for all of our misguided frustration. Spilled your coffee on the way in to work? Give the pile a good rough slam on the desk before you head out to your first class. There, isn't that better?

I can't revise a manuscript that looks like The Pile. Especially not one that looks like the Worst Type of Pile, one that's filled with papers students didn't staple together because they couldn't be bothered. Those piles are The Worst. You can't even rough them up too much for fear that the pages will fly and then when you're absolutely forced to read them you won't know which pages belong to each other.

So, here I am, sitting with my coffee in front of a monster manuscript that is the stuff of nightmares for an English teacher. It appears that, in this case at least, the Internet Creep has nothing on The Dread Pile. So it's back to laptop revisions for me.

So, in that case: I'll see you on Twitter in ten.

What about you? How do you revise? Electronically? With a printed Pile, I mean, manuscript? Post-its? Highlighters? Do tell. I'm desperate, don't you know?

****Edited on 1/18 to add:

Okay, I'm back to share an unexpected bonus of a-printed-draft-that-is-all-too-reminiscent-of-The-Dread-Pile: It has been beckoning to me ever since I brought it home. In fact, it reminds me of my Pit Bull Bailee, who craftily rests her rounded muzzle on my knee and stares up at me with silent, yet pleading, eyes in an attempt to distract me from a book and get in a good bout of tug-of-war. I can't deny those eyes. I always put down the book and grab my end of that soppy rope toy. She always wins.

And so does The Printed Draft. I keep it on the bar in our dining room, where it sits all quiet and prim in its neat little box. But there's nothing subtle about it. Oh, no. I see it staring at me as I move through the house, persistent in its patient knowledge that I will relent. And I do.

Behold! The heretofore unknown powers of The Printed Draft!

Thursday Thirteen: How I Spent My Winter Break

A Pictorial

I

#1 - 9. I read all these . . .

#10. I drank a lot of this . . .

#11. I cuddled with them . . . 

#12. I did a lot of this, and . . .

#13. I spent my last weekend of break in Vegas.

Not too shabby.

Now all that's left to do is to read the other 15 books on my "Winter Break Reads" shelf. 

Best To Do list ever!

How did you spend your winter break?

Thursday Thirteen: Great Tweeting Writers

Thursday Thirteen for 12/15:

Great Tweeting Writers

I've only been on Twitter for a few short weeks, and it's already changed my reading life. I'm always reading, and looking for new books to read, and new authors to discover, and new books and authors to recommend to my hundreds of reading students every year.

Pre-Twitter, I lurked on writing forums and paid special attention to the threads about books people can't wait to read. I spent hours in bookstores going through the aisles. (Always a real hardship, let me tell you.) I read The Book Review, a handful of book reviewer blogs that I'd found, and spent a lot of time on Goodreads. I still do these things, but now, now I feel as if I've found my secret weapon: Twitter.

If you aren't on Twitter, let me describe it for you: It's a perpetually updating feed of information and resources from people you choose to follow on the site. Sounds simple enough, right? Here is where it gets interesting: If you follow people wisely, their tweets will lead you to new people to follow, and new resources you never knew existed. And then, just a few weeks into your Twitter adventure, you will realize that you've been missing out on a world of Very Interesting People, and you'll ask yourself "What have I been waiting for?" (Or, for the grammarians among us: "For what have I been waiting?")

And then, you'll be me, right now, at this point in time. Overwhelmed by the awesomeness that is Twitter and all the people who use it to the point of proselytizing on your blog about how it is so amazing and everyone else should join.

Anyway, I've discovered or rediscovered some incredible writers through Twitter. Their generosity with writing tips, their insight into the world of authorship, their wit and humor, and most of all, their willingness to let readers peer into their world and get a glimpse of who they are as real people--these things have all left me awed and excited about reading their books. And of course, their tweets. And their blogs! Their blogs!!!! You really must check them all out.

I recently posted about the Winter Break Dreams we make as teachers. Here are thirteen Great Tweeting Writers and their books, which make up one of my favorite Winter Break Dreams of all: The books I shall read while curled up in my favorite reading chair with egg nog-spiked coffee during my time off.

In no particular order:

1.

Elise Stokes
Cassidy Jones Adventures
@CassidyJonesAdv

2.

Tara Fuller
  Perigee Moon
@Tara25Fuller

3.

Kate Hart
After the Fall
@Kate_Hart

I don't think this book is available yet. The wait! The wait!

4.

Mandy Tillotson Williams
Mortimer's Sweet Retreat
@MortimerCrump

5.

Mike Wells
Lust, Money, and Murder
@MikeWellsAuthor

6.

Cassandra Clare
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
@cassieclare

7.

Kate James
Silver Linings
@KateJamesBooks 

8.

Chuck Wendig
Irregular Creatures
@ChuckWendig 

Writers--If you haven't been to Terrible Minds yet, go. Now. This post is so not worth your time. Get thee to Mr. Wendig's site ASAP.

9.

Jocelyn Davies
A Beautiful Dark #1
@JocelynDavies

10.

Jo Knowles
Jumping Off Swings
@JoKnowles

11.

Scott Bury
The Bones of the Earth, Part I: Initiation Rites
@ScottTheWriter 

12.

Ann Redisch Stampler

The Rooster Prince of Breslov
@AnnStampler

13.

Libba Bray

Going Bovine
@LibbaBray

Okay, if you haven't read the Gemma Doyle trilogy yet, please, go read it. You might as well buy all three at once because if you don't, you'll find yourself frantic the instant you finish the first one because you'll need to read the second immediately. Trust me, I've been there.
I can't believe I haven't read Going Bovine yet. Now is the time.

This is a very incomplete sample, of course. I'm currently following around 200 authors on Twitter, so I could list a new batch of 13 to follow every Thursday and be busy for quite a while.

So, what about you? Which books are in your To Read pile for winter break? Who are your favorite tweeting authors? Do share, please! And a big thank you to all of the tweeting authors out there! I can't tell you how much I enjoy following you on Twitter.

I WON! I won I won I won!

NaNoWriMo, of course.

If you've never heard of NaNoWriMo, that tells me two things about you:
1) You are not one of my students. (If this is the case, thank you for stopping by!) I imagine my students are very happy to see December 1st, as it means I will finally shut about this month-long noveling thing.
2) You're missing out in life, big time.

For those out of the loop, NaNoWriMo is a month-long writing frenzy in which participants write the first draft of a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. It's a quick and dirty approach to writing. Just the way I like it.

I write for the same reasons that I eat, sleep, and use the restroom: because I have to. If I skip any of these activities, I get cranky, and irritable, and eventually, very desperate. Sometimes, people start refusing to spend time with me, and then I get lonely.

I NaNo because I'm one of those people who needs a deadline to get anything done. Chris Baty (creator of NaNoWriMo) knew what he was doing when he issued his first crazy writing challenge back in 1999, because that is exactly the kind of thing slackers like me need to get our rears in gear. It took me two years to finish the first draft of my first novel, and that was only 76,000 words. If I had participated in a stream of continuous NaNoWriMos during those two years, I would have had 1,200,000 words written during that time. I'm not a mathematician or anything, but that is more than a million.*

I also NaNo because I teach writing and I've found that crazy ridiculous challenges like NaNoWriMo are often exactly what students need to get inspired to write. And it works! This year, my students wrote over 650,000 words. I am so proud. I want a bumper sticker that says "My developmental students can out-write your honor roll student".

So two months ago I got together with some of my school's amazing librarians and we drafted a plan for recruiting writers. We reserved classrooms, made handouts, advertised like crazy, and I even made a handy dandy logo because we aren't allowed to use the official NaNo logo on our own college flyers. And you know what happened? The writers emerged. A community was born. And we called ourselves RaiderWriMos.

We descended on the library with our laptops and funny hats. We drank copious amounts of caffeine and ate bagels and snacks off of little round paper plates. We gave out prizes of questionable desirability. We word sprinted and progress charted and shared particularly crappy lines with each other. But mostly, we wrote. A steady stream of tip-tap-typing flowed from that little library classroom, and everyone nearby knew it, it was undeniable: There was writing going on.

I woke up on the morning of November 29th with only 28,000 words written. I had only 56% of my novel written (how do you like that math? Eh?) with only two days left to go. Did I despair? Nope. Not even a little bit. Well, okay, maybe I had a couple moments of sheer terror, but they didn't last long. Because I knew. I knew I could do it, and I knew I had a community of equally crazy writers to back me up. And they did. And finally, at 10:20 PM on November 30th, I submitted my novel for validation on the NaNo website, and I won my first NaNoWriMo with 50,161 words. (Please, stop, your applause is sweet but really, I'm blushing.)

And you know what? It felt great. It still feels great, actually. I came to work today and saw a few of my students who also won, and mini celebrations were had by all. Despite the fact that my Final Days Writing Sprint severely cut into the nine hours of sleep that I typically require, I've been bouncing around all day, just as happy as can be.

I'm familiar with the anti-NaNo sentiments that exist out there, and while I agree that there is a lot more to being a writer than pounding out a massive word count in a month, I do believe NaNoWriMo is a good thing for the writing community, in general. Here's why:

First, it's a wake up call for all those would-be writers out there who walk around saying they plan to write a novel one day, but never actually sit down to write. You know the type I'm talking about, they're the same people who attend art fairs, point lazily at finished pieces, and say "I could easily make that." When would-be writers accept the NaNoWriMo challenge and then hit day four and realize they're not cut out for this writing thing, it serves us all by shutting them up for good.

Second, it gives people who really are interested in writing an instant community of supportive writerly friends. Such a thing is getting increasingly more difficult to come by, especially as people become less interested in pursuing actual passions and more interested in spending their time following what reality stars like the Kardashians are doing. Let's face it, the people you choose to surround yourself with have an influence on you. NaNoWriMo gives writers a vehicle for finding other writers, and it does so with the added bonus of an in-the-trenches immersion experience that helps people connect in a way that otherwise doesn't happen.

Finally, writing is discovery. It's easy to lament the fact that our television- and media-obsessed culture is creating a mind-numbingly boring population of passionless people, and trust me, I indulge in this lament every now and then. NaNoWriMo is one way to fight this. The process of writing is a process of discovery--through writing, we discover ideas and beliefs we otherwise wouldn't have. We reach new levels of thought and experience. And even if you aren't a WriMo yourself, wouldn't you prefer to live in a world filled with people who actually think on a regular basis? I would.

So that, my friends, is my day-after reflection of this year's NaNoWriMo experience. I'm looking forward to the two post-writing workshops we're offering in December, and let's be honest, I can't wait for November 2012. If you won this year, congratulations! If you missed the frenzy, let the countdown for 2012 begin. We'll see you next year.

My stats page from NaNoWriMo 2011. I'm nothing if not last-minute.

*Off topic, but worthwhile: Awesome book by David M. Schwartz, How Much Is a Million? Met him at last year's IRC conference, and he was so cool.)