2011-04-16

A to Z - Day 14

N is for NaNoWriMo

For those of you who are unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. This is an amazing phenomena that occurs once and year and, for me at least, cannot be replicated at any other time.

The goal of NaNo is to write a 50,000 word novel (approximately 175 pages) during the 30 days of November. Anyone can sign up and it’s absolutely free. You start writing on November 1st and must upload your finished product to the verification page by midnight, November 30th. You can read all about it in depth HERE.

The first NaNoWriMo took place in San Francisco, in July, 1999. There were 21 participants. The next year it was moved to November, given a website, and the participants swelled to 140. The third year the participant numbers topped 3,000 and the organizers were forced to start asking for donations to help offset the costs of keeping it going. By 2010 there were over 200,000 writers participating.

To succeed at NaNo you have to be able to write a minimum of 1,667 words a day. The pressure is intense. You have to push forward without looking back. The only thing that matters in NaNo is the quantity of words, not the quality.

I have a friend who doesn’t understand why anyone would participate. What do you get for your trouble? Well, my friend, you get a finished draft, a downloadable certificate, and best of all, a feeling of accomplishment. You get to call yourself a novelist, because you just finished your novel.

I first tried NaNo in 2006. My story topped out at 34,000 words and I didn’t win the challenge but I did end up with a complete draft. I’ve participated four more times since then and have three more drafts to show for it, all more than 50,000 words. And despite my whining and complaining and lack of social life, I’ve loved every minute of it.

There’s a sense of community about NaNo that’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t given it a try. Thousands of writers, all over the world, churning out words as fast as they can: there are write-ins and forums and your own page on the NaNoWriMo site.

If you’ve never participated in NaNo, I strongly urge you to mark your calendar and sign up. I’m always looking for writing buddies and you can find me on the NaNo site as Lady Cat. See you in November.

5 comments:

K.C. Woolf said...

I've considered taking part, but each time I've chosen not to, for different reasons.

I can imagine the sense of community is amazing and stimulating, though, and I think it's a great initiative!

Michelle Gregory said...

nanowrimo has a special place in my heart - it was the catalyst that made me start writing and i ended up with a fantasy novel that i published through Lulu.com. i loved being part of a month-long "write till your hands fall off" event.

Unknown said...

I have yet to formally participate in NANOWRIMO. I do use Novemeber to take stalk of my writing goals and progress though and initiate my own private challenge that may or may not include word cout goals and I draw inspiration from the knowledge that writers everywhere are pushing themselves to find out what their limits are.

Nofretiri said...

Hello fellow genius! Got the same thought for my N for NaNo! :-)

Wish you a great start into the new A-Z week!

Unknown said...

I've never "won" NaNo, but I have gotten halfway through before.