NaNoWriMo encourages prospective novelists to burst creative blocks by writing a fifty-thousand word novel draft in a month. Challenging? Yes. Impossible? Not at all.

In 1999 a group of enthusiastic and perhaps slightly crazy people, including NaNoWriMo director Chris Baty, challenged themselves to each write a novel in a month. Setting the goal for their masterpieces at 50,000 words, 21 brave souls started and six managed to complete the task. A phenomenon was born.

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month (“NaNoWriMo”) is an annual event in which thousands of people worldwide each write a novel in the month of November.

A headlong celebration of writing and the creative process, NaNoWriMo encourages prospective novelists to toss aside self-sabotage, fear, the inner critic, planning, and good sense and plunge full speed ahead. Any inconsistencies or troubled prose can be edited out in a later draft. The NaNoWriMo motto is “Don’t get it right, get it written!”

Some writers will return to their novels later to edit, polish and rewrite. Most NaNoWriMo participants never come back to rework their novels, and that’s fine, too.

From the NaNoWriMo website (2007):

“NaNoWriMo is all about the magical power of deadlines. Give someone a goal and a goal-minded community and miracles are bound to happen. Pies will be eaten at amazing rates. Alfalfa will be harvested like never before. And novels will be written in a month.”

NaNoWriMo Stats and Facts

• Goal: 50,000 words
• Time: 30 days or the month of November
• Daily goal: 1,667 words (just over three typed pages)
• Sign-up: October 1 to November 30
• Participants: Growing every year. In 2006 there were approximately 79,000
• Winners: 13,000 hit 50,000 words by midnight on November 30, 2006

Writing a Novel in a Month: The Perks

From the NaNoWriMo website:

"Why do we do it? ...because the glow from making big, messy art, and watching others make big, messy art, lasts for a long, long time. The act of sustained creation does bizarre, wonderful things to you. It changes the way you read. And changes, a little bit, your sense of self.”

NaNoWriMo participants who had tackled novel-writing before without success say that the tight deadline makes a world of difference. There’s no time to get lost in self-doubt or to put a project aside to puzzle out details. Momentum only grows throughout the month, which can make the difference between a few chapters that don’t get looked at for five years and a completed novel.

Some find NaNoWriMo social and writing events and the online discussion boards a welcome distraction - and a boon to creativity and writing stamina. Speed-writing races and friendly competition between cities don’t hurt, either. The coordinators in every city make NaNoWriMo friendly to newcomers.

Writing a Novel in a Month: Warnings

While family and friends (and sometimes bosses and coworkers) tend to be proud of a WriMo’s accomplishment and eager to read the novel, they may also resent the amount of time that NaNoWriMo takes during the month. Be sure to take non-NaNoWriMo friends into consideration.

Between NaNo writing events and socials, commiseration on the very active discussion boards, and actual writing time, most NaNoWriMo participants find something has to be put aside during November - and in many cases it’s fitness habits, cooking, cleaning the house, and/or regular social lives.

Writing a Novel in a Month: Strategies

Some NaNoWriMo writers arrive home from work and settle in to hit their daily wordcount (1,667 daily, less if you budget to write all weekend). Others will get up at 5:00 a.m. or find time to write at the office.

NaNoWriMo participants have been known to take their novel with them to classes, birthday parties, and family thanksgiving celebrations to take advantage of any spare minute or flash of inspiration. Multi-tasking and good time management are not a must, but they definitely come in handy.

For more information, check out the FAQs and the discussion boards for your area at nanowrimo.org

Click here to learn about other fast writing events.