PS: in view of Jim's request below, and because I am one person who certainly does not know what it is all about - but I suspect most others in the biblioblogger circus don't either (except AKMA who knows everything, or at least everything that Dr Jim West does not ;) I'll explain, at least what I understand by the proposal, and therefore what I am offering to "sign up for".
Once upon a time a bunch of people who thought they "had a novel in them" got together (virtually) and assigned the month of November to write, to proclaim on their blogs how much they had written - or confess how little - and to support and encourage each other in writing. They called the scheme MiNoRoMo or some such name (NineOhTooWonOh?), then years later a bunch of academics, who know a good thing when they see it, and who must publish or die, made up their own version with a much more serious and grand name. Few if any biblical studies writers joined in. But many among the biblioblogger circus have writing projects, theses, articles, books... and perhaps we could leverage (trendy marketing term thrown in to make this all sound respectable) the community spirit of blogging to help us actually write and finish something... We're proposing now till the end of January.
The idea is you announce on your blog what you'll be writing, and then post updates on progress, and link to other people's updates and projects. As a result (a) you are encouraged or shamed into writing and (b) you get feedback that may improve what you are writing...
Labels: biblical.studies, writing
¶ 11:53 AM
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I didn't know what Chris was talking about when he posted the idea and I still don't know what it is he is after. What exactly does he have in mind?
By 
Jim, at
December 13, 2007 7:32 AM
Ah--- so, we're supposed to be writing something (anything in biblical studies) and tell folk that we are writing and thus all be together in a great and grand orgy of 'get it done thou foul slacker or thou shalt be mocked'?
That the gist? Cuz I think we are ALL working on something- whether it be a paper (for those lowly students amongst us) or an article or a book review or a book.
If I've got it aright then I'll be happy to join in the fun. But if I've missed the boat (as Michael Halcomb thinks I did in relation to gross rap and hip hop) then please instruct me more fully.
Or, as the Ethiopian eunuch said to Phillip- "how can I understand this mysterious thing unless someone explain it to me..."
By Jim, at
December 13, 2007 11:09 AM
Yea verily I think thou hast grasped the idea rightfully, unless I'm up the pole, except I suspect the goal is to focus more on encouragement than threats - though even in our society the threat of public shame can work wonders ;)
By Tim, at
December 13, 2007 11:43 AM
As I understand it, the point of NaNoWriMo entails getting around to writing a novel, in a month. Some of my friends actually did write novels (of a sort); more often, people's literary energy peters out after ten days or so.
This is an extremely awkward month for me, holidays and an excursion to Canada and all, but I would welcome the public obligation to make some headway on writing projects (of which, I hesitate to confess, I just accepted another today). So count me possibly in, and I'll try to keep you posted about how I'm doing.
By AKMA, at
December 13, 2007 4:37 PM
Good idea to include January. I could use the public accountability too, so I've joined in.
By 
Zephyr, at
January 11, 2008 5:19 AM
