Thinking About Taking the NaNoWriMo Challenge? October-25-2010
November is National Novel Writing Month!
Around this time every year I begin seeing references to "NaNoWriMo" (www.nanowrimo.org) and hoards of writers waiting to take their mark at the starting line on November 1.
Indeed, NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge — 50,000 words in 30 days of a challenge — "thirty days of all-out writing madness, and only the strong survive," writes Molly Anderson-Childers, one of last year's participants.
In fact, Molly has quite a bit to say In Praise of NaNoWriMo which I think is great inspiration (and a useful preparation guide) for those thinking about taking the challenge. I have yet to take the NaNoWriMo challenge, someday perhaps.
The great thing is that you needn't be a professional writer (or even a good writer) to enjoy the fun and benefits of the challenge. Molly notes, "What I love most about November is it gives regular people the chance to write a book — folks who don’t necessarily think of themselves as writers. Plumbers and accountants and lawyers, clerks and baristas and secretaries, doctors and bakers and truck-drivers all unite for one month and agree to an insane task — write 50,000 words in thirty days."
If you think 50,000 words in thirty days is an insane task, ask Molly how she managed to write almost twice as much. She reveals, "Ninety-thousand words and thirty days later, battered but triumphant, I turned in my final word count and celebrated with a glass of champagne." I wonder how many words she'll write this year? •
Design a 2011 Calendar Page for Creativity Portal's Printable Monthly Calendar! October-21-2010
RSVP by November 5 to Reserve a Month!
This is a fantastic opportunity to let your artistic talent shine and promote yourself, your Web site, business, organization, blog, book, or Facebook group for an entire year on Creativity-Portal.com and on every single calendar downloaded by its millions of annual visitors. More »
Planter Car & Dog-Cat-Rat Man in Bisbee, Arizona
October-2-2010
You never know what you'll see in Bisbee, Arizona!
An e-mail tip-off this summer pointed me towards an exhibit in New York City featuring Ted Mikulski's Art Car. How very cool! I thought, as I was reminded of another art car I had seen only months earlier in Bisbee, Arizona. More »
Bonnie Neubauer's Punny Costumes Contest
October-1-2010
Contest Ends October 22, 2010
Calling all teachers, parents, kids, and punsters! As a Nit-Witty prankster, I found myself in funmiliar territory when fellow funster and author Bonnie Neubauer (bonnieneubauer.com) showed me her new eBook, Punny Costumes: 252 No-Sew, Easy to Make, Word Play Costumes Guaranteed to Elicit Groans. As an instant download e-book for only $5 (it's almost a foot long), it's well-worth its weight in moans!
Given the upcoming costuming season, Bonnie & I thought it would be fun to partner up through Creativity Portal to run an virtual Punny Costumes Contest open to anyone in the world who also loves word play and wants to get in on the fun. Prize award descriptions, contest guidelines, and fine print are on the contest page.
But wait — not just for Halloween, Bonnie's Punny Costume ideas can be enjoyed year-round for any groan-inducing occasion! (Think about the attention-getting potential for speeches, presentations, theme parties, creative team-building, kid's fun, etc.). In fact, Bonnie offers several freebie costume ideas with downloadable printables on the contest page, as well as more ideas on her own Web site that you can use, reuse, and recycle!
And wouldn't you know it — just when I finally found a contest I could enter with ease, I read in the fine print that I'm not allowed to. Gee, thanks, Bonnie. Well, at least you can, dear punny reader — but you better get to it before October 22, 2010, when the door officially closes on this punhouse. • |
