The beginning of November marks a number of different occasions – Election Day, the end of daylight savings time, the prelude to the holiday season. But for many writers, November has come to mean one thing: National Novel Writing Month.
National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short, started in 1999, with less than two dozen writers. Within a couple of years, they built a website, and as bloggers began to spread the word, the number of participants grew exponentially. This year, they're expecting 500,000 writers around the world to join what they call “the largest writing event in the world.”
The purpose of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words of a novel, during the month of November. Anyone who is inspired to write a novel is welcome to join in – no experience necessary. Looking strictly at the numbers, 50,000 words translates to writing about six typed pages each day. If you write six pages a day for 30 days, you're going to end up with close to a 200 page draft. Not a bad start.There are a number of ways to participate in NaNoWriMo. There is an official website - www.nanowrimo.org - that allows you to register, create your own profile, and track your progress – all for free. You even have the opportunity to communicate/commiserate with other would-be novelists. There are local NaNoWriMo events all over the world, including right here in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Local events include “write-ins” - free writing sessions at libraries and places that sell caffeinated beverages.
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There are some mixed feelings on the idea of writing a novel in 30 days. First, it's highly unlikely that anyone is going to write a polished, completed manuscript in 30 days. In fact, I'll go as far as to say it's impossible. So if you do give it a try, it's better to approach NaNoWriMo as the first step in the long process of writing a novel, and not the entire path to the bestseller's list. There will be less anguish, to be sure.
I know many writers, including several published novelists, who take issue with the timing of the event. Somehow the founders decided that writers have nothing else to do during the month of November. Obviously they don't cook for Thanksgiving Dinner or start their holiday shopping until December 1.
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Still, there are good reasons to tackle NaNoWriMo. When you participate in the local or even the online events, a certain camaraderie develops. There is value in simply meeting other writers also trying to accomplish this seemingly insane and impossible goal. Just make sure you're spending most of your time writing and not just talking about it (a common trap).
But the most valuable reason to write a novel in 30 days is that you will get in the habit of writing every day – which is what you need to do if you're going to write a novel. You do get better with practice.
