Write a Novel, Grow a Mustache, and Help Cure Cancer!
By Nicole Evans
Things to Do in November
November, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, is cold and boring. The trees are bare, snow hasn’t fallen yet, and the daily school-work grind can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be! There are several month-long November activities to participate in. You can spend your November doing anything from penning the next Great American Novel to raising money to fight cancer. Things to do in November: write a novel!
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) 2012
If you go to a coffeeshop in the next few days, you’re likely to see more people than usual sitting on their laptops, feverishly writing as their overworked fingers wrap around yet another mug of coffee. NaNoWriMo 2012 starts today, with more participants than ever hailing from around the world. If you’ve always wanted to write a novel but have had more excuses than time, then doing NaNoWriMo might be exactly what you need to kickstart your creative juices. The rules are simple: write 50,000 words in the month of November. 50,000 is the length of a short novel but still far away from the standard 40,000 word novella – think The Great Gatsby for length. Your 50,000 words can be a complete book, or only part of a longer whole. You can write at any speed you want, but most people spread the total out over the full thirty days, writing an average of 1667/day. The deadline is exactly what some people need and they find that it’s easier to do when they’re not alone. Check out nanowrimo.org for more information. One of the most impressive things to do in November!
Grow a Mustache for Movember 2012 and Help Fight Cancer
Ok, so this one is out for most women. We’re notoriously bad at growing luxurious mustaches. But even if you can’t grow a ‘stache in time for the holidays, you can still donate to more facial-hair gifted friends and help them with their campaigns!
Men who want to grow a mo for charity, all you have to do is put down that razor and sign up at movember.com. Then tell all your friends what you’re doing. They can pledge money on your Movember profile. The money raised goes towards raising awareness and funding research on oft-ignored men’s health issues, specifically testicular and prostrate cancer initiatives. So be a Mo Sista or Mo Bro, and help a Bro out.
