Q: What is Novel Quest?
A: Novel Quest is a free, annual, motivational challenge to writers to complete their novel-writing-or-editing goal (e.g., 50,000 words or 50 hours of editing or some combination of the two) in thirty days in November. There are regional in-person, virtual, and hybrid events to help participants stay motivated while having fun in the process.
Every year, people dream of writing a novel. No matter where you are in your journey to complete your story, Novel Quest is an annual challenge where you can set a writing goal (e.g., 50,000 words) to complete in a single month, all with the support of your fellow writers.
Novel Quest with its community offers participants free preparatory workshops to better understand the craft of writing, a community to support and encourage our writers to continue working towards their goals, and dedicated writing time (offered in person by volunteers and on Zoom, YouTube, Twitch, and Discord!).
Q: What is Illinois Novel Quest?
A: Illinois Novel Quest covers virtual participants across the state of Illinois (and a little beyond) and in-person participants in the cities and suburbs west of Chicago.
Q: What does this cost?
A: Nothing! Participation is free.
Q: How do I sign up?
A: Novel Quest is a writing challenge. Individuals are free to track their own progress. We will have pointers to google sheets trackers for folks to use to track their writing and/or editing progress. Illinois Novel Quest will have a community progress trackers people can opt into to see how they are doing along with how their fellow writers are doing.
There is no central place to sign-up; however, we encourage you to subscribe to the Illinois Novel Quest substack so you can stay up-to-date with all of our motivating events.
Q: How is Novel Quest different than NaNoWriMo?
A: Novel Quest was designed to work for an author at any point in their career or any experience level. NaNoWriMo’s traditional goal of 50,000 words in 30 days can be daunting for a new writer, but it may also not be practical for someone who has been in the industry for a while. Writers are welcome to participate in both NaNoWriMo and Novel Quest, but Novel Quest’s core of choosing flexible goals with events and resources designed to support those writing first drafts, editing final drafts, working on marketing materials, or query letters allows for a more customizable November. We want you to hit your goal, and we also want you to engage with the community.
Q: Is Novel Quest an organization?
A: No. Novel Quest is an event that is facilitated by volunteers (“Quest Guides”) from local/regional writing organizations.
Q: Where can I find out more information about the local events?
A: Novel Quest is an overarching event, with local communities participating in different ways. Many of these communities operate in hybrid or digital spaces, managed by local leaders who occasionally plan in-person events. We recommend that you contact the regional leader closest to you or subscribe to this Substack.
Q: How do I stay in touch/informed?
A: You can subscribe to this substack to get emails, or reach out to any of the local leaders running Novel Quest for their specific community.