INTERESTING STUFF ON WRITING IN NOVEMBER …

IT is almost the end of the year.

Some of my writing goals have not been achieved – and I have less than 45 days to complete a few of those.

I want to let you know about a few interesting announcements – about writing tasks, of course.

Firstly, if you read the Oct 1 Weekender issue of The National, you might have come across Dr Steven Winduo’s column which was about an invitation that two authors from Australia had given to writers in PNG to submit work for possible publication.

(More information on this later. If you are writing, you may consider contacting the lecturers Dr Winduo or Mr Russell Soaba and send some of your pieces, which can be passed on.)

Secondly, I was kind of challenged again in the last few days by a post by author Ali Luke on a writing programme that is called NaNoWriMo – a writing competition.

This was what was posted in her “Aliventures” blog:

For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is short for (inter)National Novel Writing Month. It takes place every November.

Across the world, tens of thousands of writers sign up to the challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel in just one month. (That’s 1,667 words per day.)

To “win” the challenge, you need to write that many words by the end of November 30^th.

It’s free and easy to join: you simply head over to the NaNoWriMo website and click “Sign Up”.

Now, this was part of my response to Ali’s post – which I think you can learn something from:

Thanks for the NaNoWriMo announcement.

It is true - when we push ourselves in a certain time period to put out a piece, we do get a lot of things done.

And the exercise of working to meet deadlines helps us complete a piece/novel (something that many have struggled for years).

I am reminded of a competition I participated in two years ago (here in the Pacific). I completed a novelette and submitted it for the comp.

Despite not winning a prize, I have completed a book (non-fiction) - which I have polished up a bit more in the months that followed.
When the time is right, I might approach a publisher.

At the moment, I have a good plot that has been on my mind - in fact, it has been with me for a number of weeks now.

If I am eligible, I might try to participate in NaNoWriMo.

Regards,

Thomas

Note to PLS readers: I will be busy this month, with at least two other writing assignments/workshop coming up.

But two nights ago, I sketched the rough plot of what was on my mind for the last few weeks/months.

(A TINY PEEK: I am just giving you a tiny peek at what I am working on. Generally the plot is about a young man/convict coming out of prison after more than a decade – serving time for committing manslaughter when he was barely out of his teens.

While in prison, his sick, widow mother passes away.

He finds his small town has changed and could not help but notice his new neighbours – a mother with a teenage daughter and a son who is 12 – and the problems, challenges and fights they have.

How he gets to know them and assists, which includes standing up to the town’s rich bully and his gang – with the likelihood of possible physical confrontation – are the main conflicts in my sketch. I am throwing in things about music too, something that the 12-year-old boy is interested in.)

So, November will be busy indeed.

Cheers.