National Novel Writing Month If you have ever participated in the NaNoWriMo annual 30-day writing marathon, you already know what it’s like. You cross everything else off your schedule, hunker down and write. On second thought, it’s not really a marathon. It’s a sprint, hurdling over writer’s blocks and kick-starting your creativity because it’s all about the first draft. It’s freeing! No one expects you to turn out a polished manuscript. You just keep writing and writing and writing. The NaNo organization has built a terrific interactive website with incentives, forums, encouraging blog articles, writing buddy networks, local groups, achievement badges and accountability charts that will inspire you to frantic efforts or despair. Or, if you are doing well, they might make you feel a little smug. (Watch out for that.) You even get a gold halo for your profile picture if you make a donation. My Favorite NaNoWriMo Resources from Helping Writers Become Authors: One of my favorite writing craft teachers, K.M. Weiland, is doing a series of articles on How to Outline for NaNoWriMo. I have her two books, Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel, in digital form, and I buy fresh copies of the corresponding workbooks Read More