| Almost all writers (and non-writers) feel that they | | | | they needed personal help. What more could he |
| have the great novel in them somewhere just | | | | offer? Well, maybe it might sound great to be |
| waiting to burst forth. But writing a novel is such | | | | able to call him at anytime, but he lived in America |
| a mammoth task and just the thought of sitting | | | | which would be no help to me in Australia, as I |
| down and putting 50,000 to 150,000 words on | | | | can't afford call someone in the USA every week, |
| paper can seem harder than pushing a boulder up | | | | which is probably what he was counting on. |
| a hill. | | | | Then just as I was about to give up hope I came |
| Even non-fiction writers often think of attempting | | | | across two brilliant sites. |
| a book, but again they're faced with the same | | | | The first was which was offering Nick Dawes |
| dilemma of where to begin with such a massive | | | | course, 'Write any Book in 28 Days or Less'. This |
| word count. | | | | course had no personal one-to-one tuition but it |
| So where do you begin? | | | | was a complete course and cost less than $50. |
| It's hard to sit down and write most days even if | | | | Great, I thought. I signed up quickly and got to |
| the project in hand is less than a thousand words. | | | | work. And guess what? By following his course I |
| The words 'self discipline' are easy to say but it's | | | | had a manuscript in my hand 28 days later. Of |
| not always so easy to do, especially when the | | | | course it wasn't publishable and needed 2 more |
| project is a long one. | | | | edits, but I'd done it. |
| I too was faced with the same dilemma once. But | | | | The second site I saw was nanowrimo.org. |
| I eventually became the proud owner of a 75,000 | | | | Nanowrimo is short for National Novel Writing |
| book manuscript. | | | | Month and runs during November every year. |
| In the beginning the thought of sitting down with | | | | I was eager to see what Nanowrimo was all |
| a blank sheet of paper (or computer screen) and | | | | about. Well, in a nut shell, anyone can register and |
| thinking up what to write and how to write it was | | | | it's free. Then all you have to do is write a 50,000 |
| overwhelming. | | | | word novel. You begin at midnight on November |
| So how did I do it? | | | | 1st and have to finish it and upload it by midnight |
| Well, first I surfed the internet far and wide for | | | | November 30th. |
| any writing sites that had articles on novel writing | | | | How easy does that sound? Yeah, right, I hear |
| and then I hungrily devoured every word on the | | | | you say. But you really have to try it. I did it two |
| pages. | | | | years running. I was so pumped full of enthusiasm |
| But during my searches I came across lots of | | | | before I started. Could I write a 50,000 word |
| sites with authors offering courses on novel | | | | novel in 30 days? Easy. If other people could do it |
| writing and most of them even promised personal | | | | then so could I. |
| tuition and guaranteed that by the end of the | | | | Did I do it? Yes....but the whole of November was |
| course I would have a completed novel. They | | | | full of sounds of me tearing my hair out in |
| even offered help with finding a publisher or agent. | | | | frustration and tearful complaints of "I can't do |
| But I was skeptical. It all sounded too good to be | | | | this. It's impossible." |
| true, and as they say, if something sounds too | | | | But I did it and uploaded my novel at 10pm on |
| good to be true then it usually is. All the adverts | | | | November 30th. Then I sat back with the biggest |
| made it sound as though even the most inept | | | | feeling of relief I've ever had. Boy, what a rush |
| writers in the world could have a published novel | | | | that was to write a whole novel in 30 days. So |
| just by following their advice. Hmmm. Surely, I | | | | this year I've signed up again. I know that some |
| thought, the first thing a writer needs is talent, | | | | people might say I've cheated because I'm |
| and if the story-telling ability isn't there then no | | | | already working on my chapter-by-chapter outline, |
| amount of advice in the world is going to make it | | | | but hey, the rules don't say anything about writing |
| magically appear. | | | | outlines. |
| Also what put me off was the cost. Most of | | | | So if you want to write that great novel, try out |
| these courses cost $300 or more. One of them | | | | the two ways I did. At the very least you'll end |
| cost nearly $1,000, but, the advert screamed, the | | | | up with 2 novels in 2 months. |
| author of the course WAS offering his personal | | | | Good luck my writing friends. |
| telephone number so all students could ring him if | | | | |