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Your Guide to National Novel Writing Month

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Jasmin Lankford Student Contributor, University of South Florida
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Justine Figueroa Student Contributor, University of South Florida
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USF chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
It’s November, which means National Novel Writing Month is here! As an online magazine, the members of Her Campus are constantly writing, so I felt the need to fill everyone in on November’s fun writing event. NaNoWriMo is a month-long marathon where writers attempt to write an entire novel in just 30 days! It is an extreme task. In order to make it to 50,000 words by the end of November, writers, also known as Wrimos, must average 1,667 words a day! 
 
November was named National Novel Writing Month by Chris Baty, a San Francisco freelance writer. In 1999, he created NaNoWriMo and 21 people participated. Since then, the numbers have steadily increased. This year 290,486 writers and counting are documented on the official website. Baty also published a book, No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days, to help aspiring writers. 
 
 
The main purpose of NaNoWriMo is to get people writing. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad writing, just write! This fun competition allows participants to get creative as well as challenge themselves to finish their novel by Nov. 30. Participants sign up on the NaNoWriMo website to create their novel and start their journey to 50,000 words. Once writers sign up, the website is essentially a community of writers with features such as support forum groups, advice from published authors, tips to beat writer’s block and more. Plus, writers can earn web badges and get to know other Wrimos.
 
In addition to National Novel Writing Month in November, NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that works all year long to help out young writers. The website offers the Young Writers Program, which encourages young writers to stay dedicated to their creative craft with useful tips and fun activities. 
 
 
I’m attempting to write my novel this month so wish me luck! If you’re interested in joining in on the fun too, sign up on the official website here to start your own novel now! Once you have signed up, follow these tips to complete your novel:
 
  • Write an outline of what is going to happen. Your outline does not need to be extremely detailed, but at least give you a general idea of your novel.
  • Make a list of your characters and be sure to develop them throughout your novel.
  • Don’t go back and edit. You can always do that next month. 
  • Be disciplined. Take the time out of your day to write. Make a plan to write around the same time every day so you get into a regular schedule of writing.
  • Be passionate. Passion is necessary to do just about anything in life, so be passionate about really finishing your novel. 
  • Just start writing. Even if you don’t start writing at the beginning of your novel, at least start. As long as you know where you want your story to go, you can always go back to the beginning later. I personally think one of the hardest parts of writing is starting, so I usually start somewhere in the middle and go back later. That may not be the best strategy, but it works for me, so be sure to find out what works for you!
 
You could even use the completion of your novel by the end of the month as an excuse to participate in No-Shave November. Remember, sweatpants and leggings are your best friends. So good luck collegiettes™! Go start writing and enjoy yourself during National Novel Writing Month!
 
 
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Jasmin Lankford

USF

Jasmin Lankford is a junior at the University of South Florida majoring in mass communications with a minor in creative writing. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus USF. Jasmin is also the Communications committee chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Student Leadership Society and the Media Coordinator of The Poets at USF. She loves to write about literature, fashion, art, student life and pop culture. She aspires to publish a bestselling book, write and edit for a newspaper or magazine, travel the world, and more. Read her blog here!
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Justine Figueroa

USF

Justine is a recent graduate of the University of South Florida. She received her B.A. in mass communcations in spring 2014. She was the 2013-2014 Campus Correspondent for Her Campus USF.She was also a News & Feature Writing Intern for College of Arts and Sciences and the Public Relations Campus Rep for Rent the Runway at USF. She is currently seeking agency experience and would love to someday work for a magazine, become a novelist, poet, editor, host of a Travel Channel show and much more.  She enjoys writing about fashion, beauty, art, literature, pop culture and student life. She spends most days listening to Lana del Rey, calming her nerves with various types of cheese, being sassy and trying to figure out when she can take a nap.Check out her website and portfolio here.She'd love you forever, if you followed her on Twitter @tinafigs_.Contact Justine regarding business inquires only at justinefigueroa@hercampus.com.