As the clock strikes midnight on November 1, the sound of frantic typing is heard around the world. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short, has begun. This year celebrates the 10th anniversary of this internet-based writing exercise.
The goal of NaNoWriMo is simply to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. There is no emphasis on quality writing, or of writing a publication-worthy novel. In fact, the creators of NaNoWriMo explicity state NOT to edit your piece. The exercise is to encourage people to just sit down and write.
No Small Task
A 50,000 word novel is about 200 pages, with the standard of 250 words per page. However, participants are not limited to writing a complete novel in 50,000 words. They may write more than 50,000 words during the month-long event, or they may write the first 50,000 words of a novel, finishing the rest later.
Writers can write in any genre, as long as it's fiction. Although, since nobody ever reads the novels to verify they are fiction, participants could essentially write whatever they want. Writing occurs on one's own computer or on paper, not on the website, so authors don't need to worry about finding their novel got deleted.
Rewards
There are no prizes for completing a novel within 30 days. Winners get the satisfaction of having written a complete novel, and get a little mark next to their name on the NaNoWriMo website. Word counts are completed by uploading the novel to the website, then having NaNoWriMo's computers verify that you have written over 50,000 words.
Authors who are concerned about plagiarism can opt to scramble their novels before uploading, but NaNoWriMo asserts that novels are never stored longer than is necessary to perform a word count. A new feature in 2008 is a free copy of one's novel in paperback form, contributed by CreateSpace. This offer is only available to winners who complete at least 50,000 words.
A Sense of Community
Perhaps the best part about NaNoWriMo is the sense of community it fosters among writers. The site has discussion forums, friends lists, and profiles for its authors to use. They can keep track of how friends are progressing, and post messages to encourage others.
Participants can also post messages asking for help, such as what to name a character, or how to continue past a case of writer's block. There are also weekly "pep talk" emails as well as radio programs. With such support available, it's hard not to succeed.
There is nothing to lose by participating in NaNoWriMo. There is no cost to sign up, and nobody will get mad if you don't finish. Writers find support in writing a 50,000 word piece of fiction, and finish with a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Allison Russo - Allison Russo holds a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Most recently she ...
Join the Conversation