Dostoevsky spent three years writing The Brothers Karamazov. Leo Tolstoy worked for six years writing War and Peace. James Joyce wrote Ulysseus in seven years and took 17 years to finish Finnegan's Wake. The writing of a masterpiece novel seems to be a lengthy process involving years of exertion and toil.
Sophomore Jordan Wyndelts, for her part, is trying to write a novel in a month -- the month of November, to be precise. Given the time constraints, Wyndelts doesn't expect her book to be any good.
"The vast majority of what I write this month is going to be crap," Wyndelts said with a wry smile. "But maybe there'll be a glimmer of something decent in there. If you think a story to death and don't write anything down, that's worse than if you write a lot of crap."
Wyndelts is not insane, hyperactive or an insomniac, rather she is a part of the National Novel Writing Month movement, a contest sponsored by a group of San Francisco writers that challenges participants to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Those who complete 50,000 words get their names listed on the NaNoWriMo Web site http://www.nanowrimo.org.
Last year 42,000 aspiring writers from around the world signed up at NaNoWriMo's Web site to participate in the contest. This year, several Hopkins students are trying to schedule novel writing into thier schedule.
"I divided up 50000 words by 30 days and got 1667," said Wyndelts of her daily word-count target. "For the first week I was doing really well and overshooting my goal. However, today I'm supposed to be at about 21667, but I'm only at 15000."
The philosophy of NaNoWriMo is that there will never be a perfect time in your life to write a novel.
"If you don't do it now, you probably never will," is the advice posted on the NaNoWriMo Web site. "Here's the truth: 99% of us, if left to our own devices, would never make the time to write a novel. The structure of NaNoWriMo forces you to put away all those self-defeating worries and start."
Sophomore Jen Kim is living proof that a busy student can write 50,000 words in 30 days. "This is my fourth year [competing in NaNoWriMo]," said Kim. "Surprisingly enough, I've finished all three times before." Kim's strategy is to realistically schedule writing time.
"Before November, I make up a daily word count calendar. I assign different word counts depending on how many classes I have that day. For example, I have five hours of class on Monday, but only one class on Friday, so my writing is skewed towards the end of the week." Though she's 29,000 words into her story, Kim still isn't "quite sure where it's going yet."
"We have a saying: No plot, no problem! After a while, the story just writes itself and goes in directions you never expected it to take.
However, after the bold leap into frenzied speedwriting, some authors run out of steam. Such is the case with sophomore Crystal Cheung, whose horrific story about Marie Antoinette in the afterlife has stalled lately.
"Ideally, I was supposed to be doing what Jordan [Wyndelts] is doing 5f setting and fulfilling a daily quota," said Cheung. "However, with schoolwork and midterms coming up, I've fallen tragically behind. I hope to catch up over Thanksgiving break, perhaps."
If Cheung and Wyndelts finish their novels before the end of the month, they'll join an elite group of NaNoWriMo "winners". Only 17 percent of participants finish the 50,000 words that the contest requires.
NaNo participants are infamous for their insane plot twists, bizarre dialogue, and otherworldly subject matter. Cheung describes herself as a "slow and nitpicky writer."
"I feel like I'm doing the best I can in terms of writing quality," she said. The fast-approaching deadline doesn't give her much time to obsess over finding the perfect word. She intends to return to her manuscript and revise it later.
Wyndelts views NaNoWriMo as a chance to practice the discipline she'll need later in life as a real writer. "This is what I want to do with the rest of my life," said Wyndelts. "So this is a really good experience."
