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hidusty's review
5.0
@WriMo: A 30-Day Survival Guide for Writers is to NaNoWriMo participants what water stations are to distance runners.
This summer my wife pulled me into her world of running. She signed us up for a ton of 5K’s, an 8K, a 10-mile and a half-marathon. There were times in each of those longer events when I felt like I had enough. I felt like I needed to stop running. I had to slow. I saw the distance that was still in front of my goal and I was disheartened. But a voice in my head urged me forward. “Just one more water station. Get to the next station, get some water and see how you feel then. But make it to that station!”
This will be my first NaNoWriMo but I get the impression, based on my time in the NaNo forums and talking to past participants, that NaNoWriMo is a lot like distance running. You’ll have days when the words spill from your fingers effortlessly, these are the days when you feel strong and you just KNOW you are your personal best. But then there are days when nothing you write seems to work, or worse, the words just won’t come at all. You find yourself behind the pace you’ve determined for yourself and you’re ready to walk or quit all together. You are tired. You are worn out. You need encouragement. You need one more water station. You need Kevin Kaiser’s @WriMo: A 30-Day Survival Guide for Writers.
This book isn’t a tutorial on NaNoWriMo. It doesn’t teach you strategy, tips or tricks for getting to 50,000 words. It isn’t an introduction to the Traveling Shovel of Death nor does it introduce you to the mysterious Mr. Ian Woon. That book was written by someone else. This book is about water on your brain. Wait. No. It’s about water for your soul. It is the guy on the course who has clearly ran 100 half-marathon’s in his life who slows next to you and tells you “head up, it’ll help your breathing and keep you running longer.” @WriMo is the guy who pats you on the back and says “you’re doing great, keep it up.” @WriMo is your water station at each mile.
The book is split into 30 separate readings. Each day has a new message to help you on your journey. There is advice on how to start (set a schedule, find a place to write and eliminate distractions), a manifesto to remind yourself that YOU ARE A WRITER. Are you a U2 fan? There is a story about lessons you can learn from Bono. And one of my favorite features of the book is that each chapter has a quote appropriate to the craft. There are quotes from Stephen King, James Patterson, Neil Gaiman, even Steve Martin.
I think I’ve gone on long enough. I think you get the picture by now but there is one more thing I want you to know about @WriMo: A 30-Day Survival Guide for Writers. 100% of the profits from the book go to The Office of Letters and Lights (OLL), the non-profit organization that encourages creative writing in adults and young people alike. OLL’s Young Writers program supplies 2700 classrooms with free posters, stickers, workbooks and lesson plans. Not bad, huh?
So if you are a participant, or know a participant, do yourself or them a favor and help a fantastic cause along the way. Pick up Kevin Kaiser’s @WriMo: A 30-Day Survival Guide for Writers.
This summer my wife pulled me into her world of running. She signed us up for a ton of 5K’s, an 8K, a 10-mile and a half-marathon. There were times in each of those longer events when I felt like I had enough. I felt like I needed to stop running. I had to slow. I saw the distance that was still in front of my goal and I was disheartened. But a voice in my head urged me forward. “Just one more water station. Get to the next station, get some water and see how you feel then. But make it to that station!”
This will be my first NaNoWriMo but I get the impression, based on my time in the NaNo forums and talking to past participants, that NaNoWriMo is a lot like distance running. You’ll have days when the words spill from your fingers effortlessly, these are the days when you feel strong and you just KNOW you are your personal best. But then there are days when nothing you write seems to work, or worse, the words just won’t come at all. You find yourself behind the pace you’ve determined for yourself and you’re ready to walk or quit all together. You are tired. You are worn out. You need encouragement. You need one more water station. You need Kevin Kaiser’s @WriMo: A 30-Day Survival Guide for Writers.
This book isn’t a tutorial on NaNoWriMo. It doesn’t teach you strategy, tips or tricks for getting to 50,000 words. It isn’t an introduction to the Traveling Shovel of Death nor does it introduce you to the mysterious Mr. Ian Woon. That book was written by someone else. This book is about water on your brain. Wait. No. It’s about water for your soul. It is the guy on the course who has clearly ran 100 half-marathon’s in his life who slows next to you and tells you “head up, it’ll help your breathing and keep you running longer.” @WriMo is the guy who pats you on the back and says “you’re doing great, keep it up.” @WriMo is your water station at each mile.
The book is split into 30 separate readings. Each day has a new message to help you on your journey. There is advice on how to start (set a schedule, find a place to write and eliminate distractions), a manifesto to remind yourself that YOU ARE A WRITER. Are you a U2 fan? There is a story about lessons you can learn from Bono. And one of my favorite features of the book is that each chapter has a quote appropriate to the craft. There are quotes from Stephen King, James Patterson, Neil Gaiman, even Steve Martin.
I think I’ve gone on long enough. I think you get the picture by now but there is one more thing I want you to know about @WriMo: A 30-Day Survival Guide for Writers. 100% of the profits from the book go to The Office of Letters and Lights (OLL), the non-profit organization that encourages creative writing in adults and young people alike. OLL’s Young Writers program supplies 2700 classrooms with free posters, stickers, workbooks and lesson plans. Not bad, huh?
So if you are a participant, or know a participant, do yourself or them a favor and help a fantastic cause along the way. Pick up Kevin Kaiser’s @WriMo: A 30-Day Survival Guide for Writers.
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