Student writers will prepare for novel writing contest

By Anna Tuckett

With National Novel Writing Month coming up in November, Utah State University students have began preparing for the extra work that lies ahead.

Of the 400,000 novelists participating in National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, two are Utah State students Bobbie Booth and Kameron Going.

Booth considers himself a NaNoWriMo veteran, with three years of experience competing as a student in the event.

“I'm trying to get ahead in my classes as far as possible now, so hopefully I will have time to write in November,” Booth said.

Going, participating this year for the first time, has a different strategy for juggling the competition with student life.

“I’m doing a lot of thinking and planning about what I will write and setting out some clear parameters,” Going said. “My biggest planning goal is character development; I want to be sure I know these people a little bit before I get to work ruining their lives.”

National Novel Writing Month is a nationwide writing competition for all ages. In the month of November, novelists attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

“The event requirements list a 50,000 word minimum length for the novel, so I’ll need to write 1,667 words a day,” Going said.

The NaNoWriMo website includes resources and tips to help writers reach this goal.

More information about NaNoWriMo is available at: nanowrimo.org.