NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is a free to the public, online, writing extravaganza held every November -for the whole month- where the goal is to pound out at least 50,000 words of a new, original to you novel. No fancy stuff, just pure words straight from brain to hand to screen (or pen to paper if you prefer).
NaNoWrimo was started in California in 1998 within a group of friends who enjoyed writing. Over the years it has spread across the globe (even though the name is "National Novel Writing Month" anyone on the planet can get in on it). Several successful authors can attest to the greatness of this project; Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants), Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus), and Jenni James (Northanger Alibi) just to name a few. There is also an offshoot Young Writers Program that individual youth and school systems can take advantage of. AND in case those of you who like to write scripts feel left out, there's even Script Frenzy every April.
If you sign up for NaNoWriMo (again, for FREE) chances are there is already a group of WriMos (fellow participants) in your surrounding area. You can connect with them through the NaNoWriMo forums and plan get togethers called "write-ins" and have "getting to know you" and celebration parties at the beginning and ending of the month (or really, whatever you crazy bunch of power writers want -just as long as you get out your 50,000 words!).
I decided to try NaNoWriMo this year in an attempt to get some motivation to just sit down and write. A lot. Like 50,000 words. I'm hoping the accountability aspect and the fact that you get a purple-filled progress bar with a shining little halo on top will push me to success. We'll see!
October 15
NaNoWrimo Meet n' Greet/Q&A
2:00 - 5:00 PM Free 260 N University Ave. Dragon's Keep Provo | October 29 NaNoWrimo Kickoff Party 6:00 - 9:00 PM (Tenative) Free 260 N University Ave. Dragon's Keep Provo |
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.
Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Where: You write wherever you’d like. On your computer, on your iPad, on a typewriter---anywhere is fine, just as long as you’re writing!
Please head on over to the official National Novel Writing Month Website for all of the resources you'll need to get your Wri'm on (there's even a merchandise store with cool T-shirts!).
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