Every November, writers of all shapes and sizes embark on a journey to do what every writer dreams about: write a novel.
National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo) isn’t exactly a contest, but rather a challenge – one that values enthusiasm, determination and perseverance. Starting on November 1st, participants attempt to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Understandably, the focus here is on quantity, not quality. Books can always be edited and revised once written. The point of NaNoWriMo is to do the hard part – getting the words out of your head and onto the page or screen.
The brilliance of NaNoWriMo lies in the fact that anyone – literally anyone – can participate. Doctors, teachers, lawyers, construction workers, students, grandparents – all have undertaken the challenge to write a book in a month. The NaNoWriMo website offers forums and message boards to support participants as they set out on their writing adventure. When you sign up, you also have access to a word count scoreboard to help you keep track of your goals.
For a challenge that started in 1999 with just 21 writers and six winners (those individuals who managed to reach the desired word count in the allotted time), these days, NaNoWriMo is well-known throughout the blogosphere. Last year, nearly 120,000 people took to their computers to write and more than 20,000 people succeeded.
A skeptic might have doubts about the effectiveness of writing a novel in just 30 days. Remember, of course, that J.K. Rowling often had years between her Harry Potter books – though in fairness, her books did exceed the 50,000 word count by quite a lot. Still, more than 35 NaNoWriMo novels have been published, including Sara Gruen’s NY Times #1 best-seller, Water for Elephants.
As this current cycle in underway, the fruits of this year’s labor remain to be seen. But I’ll be interested to see the results. And who knows? Maybe next I’ll even participate myself.
[Photo Credit: Office of Letters and Light]
