PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 124: NaNoWriMo and the Culture of Creativity

We’re closing in on the end of NaNoWriMo time for the year! And since NaNoWriMo was yet another listener request, we thought we’d better fit it in before it’s over.

•  Basically: Write 50,000 original words between Nov. 1 and midnight ending Nov. 30 (local time) and you win.
• NaNoWriMo as marathon training for writers
• Some NaNoWriMo stats, courtesy NaNoWriMo’s site
• Trends in news coverage of NaNoWriMo
• Tirade Tracy!
• Links between creativity and mental illness
• Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk on creativity
• Judge John Hodgman’s assertion that writing is about quantity, not quality
• Write-ins and the social aspects of NaNoWriMo as a tool for productivity
• Some NaNoWriMo books that became published works, the most famous being “Water for Elephants” and “The Night Circus”
• Camp NaNoWriMo, which is like NaNoWriMo but in summer
• NaNoEdMo
• NaNoWriMo pep talks
• Night of Writing Dangerously
• The Young Writers’ Program
• Inspiration vs. perspiration
• Charlie Ross and “One Man Star Wars”
• Listener mail! It’s from Zoe who writes about our episode on how TV influences politics
• Episode link: NaNoWriMo and the Culture of Creativity

My research:

• Barack, Lauren. “Pen Ultimate.” School Library Journal. Sept. 2009.
• Burke, Moira. “Plugged in to the Community: Social Motivators in Online Goal-Setting Groups.” C&T ’11 Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Communities and Technologies.
• Burton, Larry D. “Lessons from NaNoWriMo.” Journal of Research on Christian Education. Vol. 18, 2009.
• “Can You NaNoWriMo?” Writing. April/May 2006.Conan, Neal. “Analysis: National Novel Writing Month.” Talk of the Nation (NPR). 11/23/2004.
• Johnston, Susan. “Writing applications could help you reach your NaNoWriMo goals.” Writer. Nov. 2009.
• Ydstie, John. “Interview: Chris Baty on National Novel Writing Month.” All Things Considered (NPR). 11/7/2202.

Holly’s research:

• 12 reasons to ignore the naysayers: Do NaNoWriMo
• Better yet, DON’T write that novel – Salon.com
• NaNoWriMo: Is National Novel Writing Month a Literary Threat or Menace?

You can listen to PopStuff on iTunes or via the PopStuff rss feed. Follow PopStuff on Twitter at @PopStuffHSW, and you can keep up with us on the official PopStuff Facebook page.