Cheryl Unruh, essayist and Emporia community member, spoke to participants of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) on Monday night in the William Allen White Library about what she has learned from her own participation.
“The main thing I learned is how much I could accomplish when focused,” Unruh said.
The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel during November, according to the nanowrimo website.
“I’m technically done with NaNo’s goal,” said Anda Miller, NaNoWriMo participant and Emporia community member. “It’s currently 55,573.”
Unruh herself writes primarily essays and poetry, but decided that she wanted to try something new.
“This year I’m branching out, I’m trying fiction again,” Unruh said.
Unruh learned by participating in NaNoWriMo that consistency and habit are important factors in writing.
“If this is your goal, to be a writer, (writing) every day is really helpful,” Unruh said.
Writers in the Emporia community and around the world encourage each other during NaNoWriMo, according to Unruh.
“You’re never going to get more support than you do in November,” Unruh said.
Finally, Unruh outlined the importance of setting specific goals and working towards those goals every day.
“You can either dream really big, or you can set attainable goals,” Unruh said.
After her speech, Unruh was prompted by audience members to read some of her own fictional short stories, including one titled “Man Falls into a Funeral.”
“That was great, I really enjoyed that piece,” said Michelle Zumbrum, NaNoWriMo participant and Emporia community member.