By Hieu Truong/ reporter
One thing that can go wrong in writing is not having time to write, so it’s important to make the time, a SE instructor advised Nov. 24.
Christina Feyisetan/The Collegian
Yvonne Jocks, published author and English faculty member, hosted the final NaNoWriMo workshop.
“Keep writing,” she said. “Try to have fun with it and keep on writing.”
NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, ended Nov. 30. Participants showed up to the final workshop to work on their creative stories. As the deadline approached, participants wrapped up their 50,000-word novel. Participants in the SE NaNoWriMo received prizes and participation awards.
SE English adjunct Kim Schwarz was last year’s winner and also this year’s winner for NaNoWriMo, awarded for finishing her novel and for participating.
Crimson Feather is a paranormal romance with a slice of life, Schwarz said. The main character is caught in a dream world. This Aztec warrior starts appearing in her dreams after she finds an artifact in Mexico. The only time she can see him is when she is sleeping.
Schwarz finished Crimson Feather Nov. 20, writing over 92,000 words.
She said she will continue to write and participate in the Camp NaNoWriMo in April. Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual camp that lasts for a month. Unlike NaNoWriMo, participants can set their own word limit, she said.
“[I’m] taking what I won with and then starting to revise and expand the story,” she said.
One of Schwarz’s students, Jody Stigler, was at the final workshop. Stigler first heard about NaNoWriMo through Schwarz and decided to join. In her first year of participation, she was already at a 9,000-word count. Her book, All Over the Place, is about an older woman trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.
“Go ahead and put your foot out there,” Stigler said. “Just do it.”
Jocks is still working on her NaNoWriMo book, Overtime 4: Settling. This time-travel novel is book three of a series. The first two volumes are already published and available on Amazon. She has been participating for several years and has won the NaNoWriMo twice.
“This is our fourth national novel writing meeting at the SE Campus,” Jocks said. “This is the wrap-up.”
Jocks encouraged participants to check out Camp NaNoWriMo in April and to sign up for Creative Writing next semester.
