NaNoWriMo
Every year during the month of November, college campuses, English students, and independent writers alike take part in the National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. Now you may be asking yourself, “What is NaNoWriMo?” Well, NaNoWriMo, in short, is a creative outlet that helps aspiring writers create a novel or novella of 5,000 to 50,000 words in the span of thirty days.
This is a nonprofit organization that started in 1999, offering many different challenges, like NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo, which are hosted earlier in the year during April and July, and another hosted at the beginning of the year in January called Young Writers Program. Out of all of these, only one has gotten world-renowned acclaim, and that is the one happening this month!
There are many different reasons people may want to join in on this challenge. Primarily, it encourages writers to meet deadlines, pushing themselves along the way to reach specific word counts. It uses these pre-established word counts as a motivator to write, encouraging people to continue writing even if they think that they have nothing left to say. Plus, it's a really fun experience to help you put your thoughts on the page! What is better than a writing challenge that encourages you to write an enormous amount of words in a month?
NaNoWriMo states on its about page within their website that they “provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people use their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.”
According to the website NaNoWriMo, there have been many different popular authors who have written well-known pieces during the month of November. Some of the most notable include Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire on High, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, and so many more! During the 2022 season of NaNoWriMo, the outcome showed that 51,670 writers stretched their capabilities to writing 50,000 words throughout November, meaning that each person had to write around 1,666 words each day!
To get involved and take part in the challenge, one can just begin writing, keeping in mind the desired word count, or, if they want to be more technical, sign up via the website. During the month, the company tracks the word count of each writer signed up on the website and how many words they need to write daily to maintain the 50,000-word end product. There are also sub-goals that you can set for yourself once you have signed up for the challenge.
You can sign up any time, even if you don't intend on writing 50,000 words. This is a month dedicated to making as much progress on a piece of work as possible, rather than just gathering dust on your computer.
Aspiring writers can pursue work about anything that peaks their interest; there are no guidelines or regulations in this regard. There are no limitations as to what one may be able to write during the month of November, it is a challenge solely meant to push your word count to the max! Not only that, but you can join a community of hundreds of different people across the world, taking part in the same challenge, allowing them to lean on one another for support if need be, all the while ensuring that end products will be dependent on each individual's particular interests. The best part about all of this is that you do not have to submit your piece at the end of the month, unless you want to; there are no mandates except personal ones!
Join NaNoWriMo today! There are still 21 days of the challenge left, and if you push yourself to write 50,000 words after November has already started, that will be even more of an accomplishment! So what’s stopping you? Join now!