Now What? Putting Your Work Out There

You wrote a novel! Now what? NaNoWriMo’s “Now What?” Months are here—this January and February, we’ll be helping you guide your novel through the revision process and eventually help you dip your toe into the world of publishing. To kick things off, here’s a little encouragement from behind the scenes at the NaNoWriMo office:

Pay no attention to the writer behind the curtain.

Or, if you wish, you can pull the curtain aside to say hi,
brew up a cup of tea, and have a chat.

Some of you may know me from my past roles at NaNoWriMo: I
started off as a humble, starry-eyed Camp NaNo intern in 2014, then hopped
aboard as the Customer Service Captain in 2015. Last fall, I worked more behind
the scenes for the blog and Virtual Write-Ins, a role I’m pumped to be
continuing through 2017. So, I thought it was high time to formally introduce
myself to you all.

I’m no less starry-eyed than I was three years ago—and, the
more I get to hear participants’ stories (both IRL and on the page), the more
humble I become. I’m constantly blown away by the ideas you have and the things
you manage to accomplish. Writers who get down 100,000 words or more in a
month? You amaze me! Writers who juggle full time jobs AND children AND still
manage to write a novel? You knock my socks off! Kids and teens who write your
stories down and share them with the world? You’re my heroes!

“For me—and I’m sure for others—the Now What? Months represent a challenge beyond cleaning up the messy draft of my novel: putting myself out into the world.”

The NaNoWriMo community is one of the best I’ve ever
stumbled across, and I’m so glad to be a part of it. However, like many
(although certainly not all) writers, I can be a bit of a wallflower. Sometimes
it feels like I’m doing the online equivalent of sitting in a corner,
scribbling my stories in my notebook, while thoroughly enjoying the creativity,
conversation, and exuberance going on around me. For me—and I’m sure for others—the
Now What? Months represent a challenge beyond cleaning up the messy draft of my
novel: putting myself out into the world.

Although the act of writing itself can be quite solitary, the
process of editing and publishing a novel definitely takes a village, to quote
the old adage. I sometimes still find myself blushing and stammering whenever
someone asks what my novel is about, because even to tell them about my wild
ideas feels extremely vulnerable. I had to learn how to push myself out of my
comfort zone and ask the people around me for help.

I’ve had a couple of short stories published, and thinking
of those accomplishments still fills me with pride. The first was published in
Young Authors of America when I was in elementary school, and sparked the flame
of my desire to become an author. The second was published in 2015 in SciPhi
Journal, and was (hopefully) a little better thought-out than my 11-year-old
self could have managed (or, at least not quite so blatantly Redwall fanfic).
In both cases, the stories never would have come into being in the way that
they did if I hadn’t reached out to those closest to me and asked them to help
me revise and edit. They also wouldn’t have been published if I hadn’t taken
the scary leap and submitted my work to the contest or open call.

Over the next couple of months, this blog will be full of
advice from authors, editors, and agents sharing their knowledge and experience
with those of us trying to publish our novels or polish them up. The Now What?
page will also be full of resources for you to use during your editing process.

I wanted to take the first post of this new year to pull the
curtain aside and give a friendly wave before we dive back in to all the hard
work. If you have things you want to see on the blog, wish to contribute to it,
or just want to say hi, send me a NaNo mail! I’m so excited to be a part of
this community, and to see what you all are going to create next.

–Katharine Gripp, Communications Manager

Top photo by Flickr user Bert Heymans