Do you have an almost masochistic love for writing? Have you always wanted to write a novel? Are you looking for that push to begin becoming that awesome author you’ve always wanted to be? Are you already an excellent author trying to sharpen their skills in writing? If you’ve said yes to any of these questions, NaNoWriMo might be just what you need.
What or who is NaNoWriMo? And when do we meet it?
The name is catchy but sounds more like the name of an alien than a challenge. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. And you guessed it; that month is November. Within the month, members are told to meet the word count goal of 50,000 words. That’s right, 50,000 words in one month. If you’re deliriously interested and your heart is pounding at the thought, this is the perfect challenge for you. The reason for the choice of 50,000 words is that The Great Gatsby is about that many words. Amazing, right? Anyway, what this melts down to is approximately 1,667 words a day. You may be thinking that it’s not possible, because hey, you’re too busy, you’re a college student, you’ve got two jobs, you’ve got all this volunteer work, you’re working on a new project, you’re already writing a novel, you don’t like rushing, etc etc. Well, my friend, at that, I’d like you to look me in the eye and say that those are not just excuses you’re making to avoid the hard work this would entail.
When you’re halfway through NaNoWriMo and get writer’s block because the writing gods hate you.
If you want to do it, you’ll do it. As a “winner” (as the website likes to call people who finish the challenge), I believe that anyone can do so. Also, I know I may have scared a lot of you out of this, but any amount of writing, be it 10,000 words or 100,000 words, is an accomplishment. It means you made an effort. And more than anything, it means you just might try again.
Relevance?
NaNoWriMo is a global nonprofit organization that promotes writing to just about anyone at any age anywhere. If you’ve got a story to tell, NaNoWriMo helps to get that story on paper and ready to share with the world. NaNoWriMo had over 100,000 participants in 2016. It has had libraries open their doors for these “write in” events in which many members of the NaNoWriMo community come together to write together. Also, many writers have literally come out of NaNoWriMo as published authors such as Sara Gruen, writer of Water for Elephants and Erin Morgenstern, writer of The Night Circus. This could be that painful, but worthwhile push for you. Let this challenge show you just how achievable, and in reach your goals and dreams are.
And here’s a motivational penguin to drive in that thought.
If I haven’t already convinced you, why join NaNoWriMo?
It is so much fun! It can be so bad and so tiring. It can be even overwhelming at some points, but it is so much fun. How quickly can you make dynamic characters? What story do you want to pull together? Will this be a memoir? A collection of personal essays? That book of poetry everyone says they want to write? It can be anything. All you have to do is write. I have been doing NaNoWriMo for seven years; that means I started in 2011 as an 8th grader. You heard me right. Now, why would I continue doing something so crazy if I didn’t sincerely love it? Because I’m insane…aren’t all writers?
Honestly, the second-best part has got to be the community. Everyone is cheering you on from the sidelines as thy desperate race towards their own goals, no matter how small they might be. The community is filled with amazing writers and motivated people. We learn to make games out of writing like “word sprints,” in which you’re given a certain amount of time and told to just write nonstop without editing. In the end, you just count how many words you’ve written in the time span, and it’s either you’re proud, or aim to do better. In fact, this is how I got most of my novels done. The community makes it. Along with other writers, you get pep talks every single day from people known as “mentors.” These mentors are often successful authors such as John Green, Veronica Wroth and Gene Luen Yang. These are all people that care about your words and your ability to write them down and show what you’ve got.
Now, the last question you might have might be what do you get out of it? And honestly, the answer should be obvious here. You get the experience. You get to refine your writing. You get a community. You get to say you’ve done it (one of my favorite perks). But also, the website does offer some other possible rewards from sponsors, like getting 20 to 50 percent off of really cool word processors like Scrivener and Ulysses or (if you’re a winner) 50 percent off of “4TheWords” which is this really cool writing game that you play with other writers while honing your craft. The benefits are boundless.
If I still haven’t convinced you, I can’t be too upset. I might as well be bouncing out of my seat with excitement and fear of the upcoming month (don’t even get me started on writing during that Thanksgiving Break). Altogether, it’s your choice, but if you make it, I guarantee that by the end of the month you will not regret it.
And when you get frustrated (which I know you will), just remember why you started in the first place. You’ve got this!
Even though November already started, it’s never too late to start NaNoWriMo!
For more information and to sign up (for free, of course), go to nanowrimo.org
(But also donate if you can. It’s a nonprofit, after all)