http://www.flickr.com/photos/wheatfields/3937933747/
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it’s an initiative designed to turn the month of November into a month-long write-fest for current or would-be novelists. The idea is that you set yourself the task of writing 50 thousand words in November and bingo, you’ve got yourself a novel – or at least a first draft of a novel.
I did the bulk of my thesis writing in a fairly short amount of time. Not a month, I hasten to add, but I did embark on some intensive writing (as well as intensive Nutella-eating). Currently, I’m doing a Post-Doc in the US and part of why I’m here is so I can finish my first book. So after hearing about NaNoWriMo a colleague and I started wondering whether AcBoWriMo might be possible.
That’s right, we are here-by declaring November the first Academic Book Writing Month or AcBoWriMo Beta/0.1 or something. We are going to wear comfy clothes, drink a lot of coffee, probably nap in our offices at strange hours and see how close we can get to writing 50 thousand words in one month. I know, it’s totally insane, there can surely only be a handful of academics who can actually turn out decent material in such a short space of time. There are also a lot of differences between writing novels and academic books, but aren’t you just a little bit curious to know how much of a kick-start a dedicated writing month could give your book?
I should emphasize that this is very much a test. I, personally, have no idea if I can even come close to the amount of reading and writing required to complete even 20 thousand words in one month, but let’s just think of it as an academic version of an extreme sport.
There’ll be a hashtag for Twitter where anyone interested in participating – or indeed watching from afar – can talk about progress and share tips and ideas for speed reading/writing (#acbowrimo). And we’re also hoping there might be a write-in in our department or someone’s apartment where we gather people together for mutual support and literally write the night away. Maybe you fancy staging one too somewhere and Skyping us for solidarity? Awww, it’ll be just like we’re students all over again – although with less alcohol in our systems.
So it would be great to know what you think about the idea. Please use this blog post to put your name down if you’d like to participate in this beta test phase of AcBoWriMo as this act alone should shame you into actually doing some work. And then, if you’re on Twitter, keep in touch with us using the tag or tweet us @PhD2Published. Oh, and it needn’t be a book you’re working on, thesis and article writers are all welcome too!
Katherine said on November 3, 2011
Count me in! I’m trying to finish up my MA thesis, need to turn in first draft by the end of November. Perfect timing!
Yafiah said on November 3, 2011
I hope I’m not too late, it’s already the 3rd november. I wrote a novel with NaNoWriMo a few years ago and now I’ll try it on my thesis. it’s great motivation to feel part of a community
Maud said on November 3, 2011
okay. gulp. Count me in! (I’m already 3 days behind)!
mickey said on November 3, 2011
I’m in. I was using NaNoWriMo idea to get a lot done on my PhD thesis (Chemistry), but this is a better fit! I’d like to finish the main research chapters – 3 to go – by the end of the month.
JD Meyer said on November 3, 2011
I’d love to participate; however, I don’t need to write that much to get my Developmental English/College Composition textbook finished. It’s copyrighted, and there are twenty chapter sections published as articles scattered around the Internet. I’m illustrating it through flickr and getting friendly on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Amy R (@ambulantscholar) said on November 3, 2011
I’m finishing my dissertation and am defending in May. I also started a blog last spring, and writing for that was going well until the semester started — I began a new position with a new department. Oh yeah, AND I’M ALSO ON THE JOB MARKET.
My academic writing — and I’m including blogging in this — has started to take a back seat to the job market. As we all know, if you’re an academic and you’re not a multi-tasker, you’re in for a world of hurt.
So, with that idea in mind, I’m excited to participate in AcBoWriMo. I’m committing to several projects, which I’ve listed here:
http://theambulantscholar.com/2011/11/03/november-academic-writing-acbowrimo/
Rachel said on November 3, 2011
I’m in – trying t get three chapters of my thesis complete by Christmas, but if can get a big chunk of that done in November then who knows? In the last week I’ve produced 11, 000 words, and that’s with a couple of days of no writing. So a target of 40, 000 by the end of the month doesn’t sound too hideous. I can’t vouch for their quality mind…
Jennifer said on November 3, 2011
I’m in. Four days late. Dont know how/if its possible with a full-time job as well but will
give it a go.
Anna Blanch (@Goannatree) said on November 3, 2011
I’m in. I’m aiming to have a draft of all 5 chapters of my PhD thesis by Christmas. So, my aim is 1500 words a day.
Sassan said on November 3, 2011
Just read about it on twitter. I am in 🙂
Xepe said on November 4, 2011
I’m in (better late) I need to start my thesis, I don’t know what my american education equivalent level would be, but my thesis should be around 100-200 pages long, got nothing yet T_T
So bring the peanut butter on! (allergic to nutella, maybe writters just need high-protein high-fat creamie-thing)
Greetings from México
Teshia said on November 5, 2011
I am hereby formally shamed! I’m in. Greetings from SoCal.
BostonEdGirl said on November 7, 2011
I, too, am in, even with starting a week behind! Goal is to have draft of Chapters 4 & 5 of dissertation by Dec. 1st. So, yeah, 50,000 words. Oof. This is gonna be ugly.
Douglas Sery said on November 7, 2011
you’re correct. there are only “handful of academics who can actually turn out decent material in such a short space of time.” and does anyone really care about “decent” material? I certainly don’t. Shouldn’t the bar be set a tad higher? let’s lose the stopwatch and concentrate on quality.
Charlotte Frost said on November 8, 2011
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I really wanted this project (like the rest of PhD2Published) to yet again provide for lots of exchage about what academic writing and publishing are and what they could or should be. There have been many great debates already and I’m thrilled about that (and will be discussing these for the Guardian Higher Education Network after this is all over). Perhaps it’s not clear, but this is just one month (out of many) where we’re collaboratively creating a community of writing support, where academics can share their process, find out what works in different disciplines, and get past some writer’s block. It’s absolutely not about lowing standards.
Charlotte Frost said on November 8, 2011
PS I think I misused the word ‘decent’ which I used to mean something more like ‘respectable’ rather than just ‘adequate’.
Adeline said on November 8, 2011
would love to join in! goals: 1) draft book chapter (shitty first draft) 2) post for profhacker, 3) fellowship app
Dr. Mitchell R. White said on December 26, 2011
Sounds like a nicely insane event! I hope your book(s) got a great start. I wrote my dissertation in 27 straight days, back before word processors, on yellow legal tablets. Boxes of them! It was closer to 25,000 words than 50,000, but the illustrations were extensive. And I had to draw those by hand as well. Things sure have changed for the better!
I hope to hear that this all works; I’ve got a non-fiction title that needs a kick-start…
houses for sale in Hanover MA said on December 20, 2012
Very good information. Lucky me I found your site by accident (stumbleupon).
I have saved it for later!
Mollyculture said on October 28, 2013
Ha! I thought I was the only one doing this! Glad to know I have a peer group. Essays, articles, grant narratives, and class lectures for me. I’m not in book mode this year, but if I can get these other ducks to line up then maybe 2014 or 2015 will be book year for me.