1st November marked the start of this year's "NaNoWriMo", National Novel Writing Month. The goal for participants is to write a 50,000 word (approximately 175 page) novel within 30 days.
Have you ever thought about writing a novel but you have hesitated because of the time and effort involved? NaNoWriMo might be the just what you need.
NaNoWriMo values enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft. Because of the limited timeframe, what matters is output - quantity, not quality. It's all about getting you to lower expectations, take some risks, and write on the fly.
As explained at the NaNoWriMo site, "By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down."
The very first NaNoWriMo took place back in July 1999 with 21 participants in the San Francisco Bay Area. The novels produced came "came out okay". Not great. But not horrible, either. But most surprising, the writing process had been loads of fun. One of the organizers recalls, "I think the scene—full of smack-talk and muffin crumbs on our keyboards—would have rightly horrified professional writers. We had taken the cloistered, agonized novel-writing process and transformed it into something that was half literary marathon and half block party."
Last year, in 2010, there were over 200,000 participants and 30,000 of them crossed the 50,000 word finish line by the deadline. "They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists."
Do you want to write a novel? Get involved in NaNoWri Mo. You can take comfort from the knowledge that all around the world hundreds of thousands of other writers are doing it too. There are helpful forums, local groups and meet-ups, and helpful advice along the way.
You can sign up anytime. To be added to the official list of winners you must reach the 50,000 word mark by November 30 at 11:59:59.
Go to www.NaNoWriMo.org for information and to join. And check out the history behind the event - this is a fun and inspiring read in itself!
