Ever felt like there was a novel inside you just waiting to pour out onto the page? November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short), which may be the perfect opportunity to write that high fantasy novel (or detective novel. Or vampire romance novel. Or high fantasy vampire romance detective novel). Every year in November, writers from around the world set a goal to write 50,000 words over the course of the month. What started in 1999 with a small group of friends has become a worldwide gathering of writers challenging themselves to write a novel in 30 days. Maybe you have a germ of a novel idea floating around (or maybe two!). Maybe you are curious to see if you could turn that short story you wrote back in college into a full-length novel. Whatever the reason, NaNoWriMo could be your opportunity to put pen to paper (or keyboard to screen).
Everyone who has ever written anything knows that writing can be daunting. Even the best authors experience writer’s block, busy lives, and waning enthusiasm. Even worse, our own inner critics can sabotage our goals of completing a writing project or even getting started. NaNoWriMo aims to undercut procrastination and anxiety and push writers to write. Writing a novel in 30 days can be exhilarating, stressful, liberating, frustrating, exhausting, and more. But the point is to do it. As best-selling author Holly Black points out in her NaNoWriMo Pep Talk, “I am here to tell you—what matters is sticking with it. Even if you don’t know if you can make it through NaNoWriMo, just get through today. Then get through tomorrow. Don’t worry about the day after that, until it’s today. Then you know what to do.”
Chris Baty started NaNoWriMo in 1999 as a challenge with twenty friends. They would each write a novel in thirty days, with a goal of producing 50,000 words by the end of the month. Baty realized the power of having a deadline to challenge a writer to produce. According to Baty,
"A deadline is, simply put, optimism in its most kick-ass form. It's a potent force that, when wielded with respect, will level any obstacle in its path. This is especially true when it comes to creative pursuits."
NaNoWriMo aims for production, not perfection. November is the month to write as much as possible.
Now in its 25th year, NaNoWriMo has grown exponentially since its beginning as Chris Baty’s brainchild. By 2002, five thousand people had signed up to write like maniacs for a month, and in 2006, when seventy-five thousand people signed up, Baty established a non-profit organization to manage and support the project. These days, NaNoWriMo not only offers its best-known event in November, but also Camp NaNoWriMo for authors who want to write in April or July, a six-week NaNoWriMo Prep program to set writers up for November, and a Young Writers program for school-age children around the USA and the world.
NaNoWriMo allows writers to unleash their creativity without the sometimes-paralyzing effects of self-criticism or the need to edit. Many writers also find that the intensity of NaNoWriMo brings out something special. Authors who wrote bestselling novels during NaNoWriMo include Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus; Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants; and Rainbow Rowell, author of Fangirl (and the often banned and challenged Eleanor and Park). The power of National Novel Writing Month is such that you could fill a reasonable-sized home library with books written during NaNoWriMo.
By signing up for NaNoWriMo, you are challenging yourself to produce a novel draft by the end of November. It doesn’t have to be perfect. By November 30, even if you haven’t got 50,000 words, you will likely still have many more words than if you hadn’t participated. The process can teach you a lot about your writing process, even if you have never written fiction. It may even improve your academic writing. The other bonus is that you can spend the month writing by yourself, but if you prefer to write with company, NaNoWriMo has events and writers’ gatherings in towns and cities worldwide. Sometimes, the hum of people working around you can be more stimulating than silence.
So, if you want a challenge, love to write, or need to get those ideas out of your brain onto the page, sign up for NaNoWriMo and unleash your inner novelist.
Hailing from New Zealand, Ngaire Smith currently lives in the mountains of North Carolina. She has worked in academic libraries both in the USA and New Zealand for many years and believes strongly in the power of librarians to help students succeed in their studies.