Are You Ready for the Write Nonfiction in November Challenge?

In just under two weeks, nonfiction writers will take to their keyboards to begin 30 days of work on a new project. Not only will they start that project, they will finish it. Why? Because that’s the challenge posed by Write Nonfiction in November (WNFIN).

WNFIN, which is both a challenge and a full-month of guest blog posts about many aspects of nonfiction writing and publishing, was my response to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a contest that asks fiction writers to compose 50,000 words in 30 days during November. (I tried NaNoWriMo one year; the next year I thought it appropriate that nonfiction writers should have something to do during November.) The WNFIN blog supports the writers as they work, and the comment area gives them a forum to chat about the posts and their work.

Are you ready to begin a WNFIN project–or any new writing project for that matter? If not, here are some things you can do to prepare:

1. Write down the 3-5 top projects you would like to tackle that you have not had time to start or finish; figure out which one might be doable in 30 days time.
2. Create an outline to follow.
3. Mindmap your project.
4. Get your research together in a physical folder.
5. Do research on line and put the links or copied pages in folders on your computer.
6. Conduct any interviews necessary for writing your book or article.
7. Finish any outstanding work that might get in the way of your writing project.
8. Examine your schedule and block of a time each day to work on your project.
9. Find a WNFIN writing partner or create a WNFIN writing group as support system.
10. Consider anything that might stop you from sitting down to write or in the process of writing, and rid yourself of those obstacles before November 1.

If you take these 10 steps, you will be ready to take the WNFIN challenge–or to start any writing project at any time of the year!

Questions? Feel free to contact me. Want to get excited? Peruse last year’s November archives at Write Nonfiction in November. Or better yet, check out this partial list of WNIFIN 2010’s expert guest bloggers:

1. Judy Cullins
2. Carolyn Howard-Johnsons
3. John Kremer
4. Linda Joy Meyers
5. Robert Skrob
6. Sue Collier
7. Mark Coker
8. Michael Larsen
9. Jeff Herman
10. Katherine Sands
11. Drew Gerber
12. Michael Ray Dresser
13. Jane Atkinson
14. Joan Stewart
15. Jeff Herring
16. Dana Lynn Smith
17. Carolyn Howard-Johnsons
18. Robin Fisher Roffer
19. Ruth Klein
20. Stephanie Chandler