The Drive to Write
Chris Baty, founder of National Novel Writing Month, gives the closing address of the 2012 Writer’s Digest Conference.
Chris Baty, founder of National Novel Writing Month, gave the closing address of the 2012 Writer's Digest Conference. Baty spoke about the origins of National Writing Month when he gathered twenty of his friends to try to write a novel of 50,000 words. Thirteen years later, his organization has increased to 300,000 writers in thirty countries.
Baty's closing address was inspiring for all who were in attendance. After speaking about the origins of National Novel Writing Month, he told the audience that he is leaving his organization to become a full-time writer. Like all aspiring writers, he feels a little fear in striking out on his own to write. Yet, he knows what it takes to succeed, and he shared the four things that he has noticed over the last thirteen years that will allow him and any aspiring writer to succeed:
- Have a deadline
- Momentum
- Appreciation of messes
- Faith
For all of the most up-to-date information about the 2012 Writer's Digest Conference, follow @porter_anderson on Twitter.
Joe Perry is an intern at FinePrint Literary Management.
