National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
Have I mentioned that November is National Novel Writing Month?
Ok, technically, it’s international since there are participants in many different countries, but the NaNoWriMo Nonprofit is a group dedicated to encouraging people to write. Their challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. If you join (I believe it’s free) and write and upload 50,000 words by November 30th, you will be a winner, and you will have access to goodies from their sponsors such as discounts on writing software and online publishing deals (as in, use this ebook publisher for a lower cost).
More importantly, you will have the start of a rough draft.
Wait. What? I thought this was about writing a whole novel in a month! That means I’ll have a whole rough draft, right?
Well, sorry to break it to you, but 50,000 words isn’t a novel (it’s around half). But it is a good start on one. For people who need a deadline to get work done (no matter how arbitrary), this could be a great motivator. Since there are also forums for the writers, it could also be a good way to talk to other writers around the world.
A small note of warning: some authors are a bit offended by NaNoWriMo (to put it lightly) and see it as a sort of mockery of the hard work they do year round.
While I am not going to participate (at least this year), I do not think that encouraging people to write more is a bad thing. At the very least, non-writers who try it may have more respect for how hard writing actually is. At the very best, the extra motivation might help someone to finish a book and get published.
Maybe, that someone will be you. What do you think? Are you going to try?
I’ve signed up to do it this year for the first time, after several years of meaning to but not getting round to it. I may end up not using the 50,000 words in anything, or I may develop it on to a full novel. There’s also the possibility that I won’t make it to 50,000 words, but the main thing is it’s getting me writing and that’s no bad thing. As an actor and writer just out of drama school, I’ve been focusing a lot on my acting career lately and writing has sadly taken a back seat, so being part of a worldwide initiative like NaNoWriMo is helping me bring it back to the forefront and get those words out of my head and onto paper!
That’s awesome! As far as I’m concerned, if it gets you writing more it’s a win – 50,000 words or 1,000: you gotta start somewhere!