Did you know you can write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days?
Yes, you! I know, it's mind-blowing. It's almost too
good to be true, but trust me, this is the real deal. The secret -
NaNoWriMo, my friend.
No, it's not a foreign word (don't worry I thought this at first), it's
actually an acronym for National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is an
annual 30 day challenge that begins on the first day of November and
encourages you to write part of a coherent story every single day
throughout the month. The goal is to come out the other end with a
50,000 word (or sometimes more) novel.
Whether you're an intrigued beginner or a seasoned author, anyone can
take part in NaNoWriMo. Here are the rules:
📖 The challenge begins on the 1st of November. That being said, if you
feel like doing this during a different month then that's totally cool
too. The main aim is to start at the beginning, or as close to the
beginning of the month as you can.
📖 The challenge lasts for thirty days. If you begin your writing on the
1st of November, then the 30th of November is the last day of your
writing. Similarly, if you begin your writing on the 13th of March, then
the 11th of April is the last day of your writing.
📖 Pre-planning prior to the challenge is not only fine, but actually
encouraged. Some might be able to come up with a great story premise in
a matter of moments, but if you're anything like me, you may need days
or even weeks to formulate an idea, brainstorm potential characters and
their personalities. As long as you don't start actual writing until day
one of the challenge then plan away.
📖 You must aim to write at least 1,667 words a day towards your novel.
So, in actuality you should come out the other end with at least a
50,000 word novel, but there is a tiny bit of leeway 😉.
📖 Have fun! While this is a challenge that may push you to the furthest
reaches of your creative mind, NaNoWriMo is designed to take a solitary
and often lonely experience and turn it into an energetic, fun, and
fast-paced community event. This is because there are now hundreds of
thousands of writers all over the world that actively participate in
NaNoWriMo. We are all in this together. While many people take part in
the National Novel Writing Month annual challenge as a personal writing
journey, there are also many websites including NaNoWriMo's official
site that allow you to formally get involved with the challenge and
other writing events, support other people's work, chat on creative
forums, and more.