NaNoWriMo in a Nutshell

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. As the name suggests, it is a month dedicated to writing novels. Specifically November, and specifically a 50,000 worded novel (or more) per person. The event is managed by the Office of Letters and Light. A nonprofit organization that also runs other major writing events like Camp NaNoWriMo, Script Frenzy, and the Young Writers Program.

NaNoWriMo started back in July of 1999 by Chris Baty with only 21 participants. The next year the event was moved to November, where it has stayed ever since. More and more people have become interested in the event and now there are more than 200,000 people taking part in this ‘month of literary abandon’.

The whole goal of the event is to write a 50,000 worded novel. It can be about anything the author wants, in any genre, in any language, and from any fandom. There are a few rules, however. You cannot co-write a novel with someone. The novel you have must be new. It cannot be already started, and you must start the project on November 1st. You must have at least 50,000 words of it completed by the end of the month to be considered a winner.

There are many special offers available for writers participating in this program. Most pertaining to online writing applications and things like that. However, for winners, CreateSpace has begun to offer five free paper-back copies of their novels, and the option to sell the novel on Amazon.com. Pretty enticing, right?

Anyone from all over the world can participate in this event. All you have to do is go to nanowrimo.org and register. It is a free event, but they greatly appreciate donations. Throughout the month the program directors and famous writers send out encouraging and helpful e-mails; post videos about their office’s experiences throughout the month; and run the site, answering questions and making sure everyone is having fun.

That is NaNoWriMo in a nutshell. It is a month of ‘literary abandon’. Having participated in this event for the past two years, and plan on participating again this year, I can say that it is honestly a lot of fun and you end up growing greatly as a writer. You learn to ignore your inner editor and just write. Of course you’ll want to go over the 50,000 words afterwards, if you want those five-free copies. But the whole challenge of it is to come up with a worthwhile plot and novel with developed characters and great plot points.

I hope this has gotten you at least slightly interested in this event, and that you at least check out the website for a few moments.