NaNoWriMo writers to share manuscripts at open mic event
By Heather Rastas
EDMONTON — NaNoWriMo writers will be reading excerpts from their manuscripts at an open mic event in west Edmonton on Nov. 28.
A set up workplace for writing on Nov. 28, 2011. Photograph by Heather Rastas.
A handful of writers are expected to descend on The Dish & The Runaway Spoon Bistro & Catering (The Dish), which is located at 12417 Stony Plain Rd., to do a two-minute reading from the writing they did during “National Novel Writing Month,” which is what NaNoWriMo stands for.
The open mic event is set to run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Writers Guild of Alberta planned the event, said Karen Willsher, the media liaison for Edmonton NaNoWriMo.
Participants in NaNoWriMo are expected to write 50,000 words (around 175 pages) between Nov. 1 and the last second of Nov. 30.
NaNoWriMo is “a kick in the pants for anybody who ever said ‘One day I would like to write a novel,’ ” said Marty Chan, the 2011 Edmonton Public Library writer-in-residence.
Chan’s job as the EPL writer-in-residence is to form connections between the professional writing community and the people who want to break into the community. He hosts various public programs like workshops or readings.
This is Chan’s first time doing NaNoWriMo but he is “a professional writer, so you could say that I do my own version of NaNoWriMo every month,” he said in an email interview.
Chan said it’s not hard to write 50,000 words once you get going, but many find it hard to dedicate time to writing.
“Once people commit to writing, it’s easy,” Chan said. “The trick is convincing yourself that writing matters.”
Carole Amerongen, owner of The Dish, said she is excited to hear what the writers have to say.
“I hope that they enjoy themselves and they come again to be at our place,” she said, although hosting the open mic night is not really a business decision.
“(I’m) more interested in using my ears and I’m not so much worried about attracting new clients,” she said. “I’m interested in eavesdropping.”
NaNoWriMo was started in the San Francisco Bay area in 1999 by Chris Baty. The event started with 21 participants and has spread worldwide, with 200,500 participants last year.