NaNoWriMo, also known as National Writing Month, takes place during the month of November. During this time, writers converge and attempt to write a novel consisting of 50,000 words, about 1,667 words a day, to reach the goal and win. There is no one winner, as everyone who reaches the goal can submit their novel and get a certificate and t-shirt. I have been participating every year since 2012, and I have yet to reach my goal. Each time I get about halfway there before becoming side tracked and falling behind. I have friends who have met the 50,000 word goal, and I live vicariously through them.
It’s easy to get started. Simply register on the site and start writing! You can fill out information about your novel. You can come up with a title, splurge, and even put a cover on it if you have one designed. You can connect with friends from in real life, or online, and check in with each other’s progress. There are regional groups you can also join if you want to chat with people local to you about what they’re going for their novels and ask for tips or tricks. Staying motivated can be the biggest down fall for writers during this month, so use the regional page to find writing workshops, marathons (writing not running), or get togethers to keep the creative flow going.
National Writing Month is often an event that people spend months beforehand preparing for. Getting a story outline, characters developed, or even a general idea of what to write about can help move the process along at a faster rate. There are a lot of key tricks that the community supports in order to achieve the goal, or just a novel in general (writing doesn’t stop after November). Some tricks are:
-
Remember that this is draft zero. There will be many more to come after.
-
Quantity over quality. Get the words down first and fix it up after.
-
Make a writing schedule and stick to it. Write every day, every other day, only weekdays, but write no matter what.
- Have fun!