A novel challenge

I want to write a novel

I dream of my first novel (that was written effortlessly in a few days and needed no editing at all) becoming something critically acclaimed. I dream of people quoting me during philosophical debates about love, hate, war and peace long after my flesh has rotted away and my skull no longer serves the purpose of protecting my literary genius brain and instead is the house for an assortment of worms. I dream of my books being in the ‘classics’ section of Angus and Robertson among Shakespeare, Dickens, Bronte, Austen, Tolkien and other authors who are credited for brilliant works.

However, I do know that this fate happens to only a miniscule number of those who dare to dream of success through writing. I am well aware of the fact that for every legend there is to idolise through history, there are several million people who have no hope of raising the bar any higher in the high jump that is professional writing. These facts do not deter me in the way that they should: I still place high importance on the words I use; I still write many words every day; and I still believe in suffering for my art despite the fact that, statistically, it will probably get me nowhere.

There are many people across the globe who feel the same way I do. They have a passion for words and that is what they want to be known for. Very few of these people actually get to write. Instead, they get swept away by life, doing activities just as noble as writing but seemingly unimportant.

November is the month that publishers must have come to despise. November is the month that many an aspiring novelist forgets to get swept away in that unimportant thing called life. November is the month of NaNoWriMo.

Sorry, what was that?

At this point you may be asking, ‘NaNo-what-now?’ Do not worry, I was asking the same thing, too, in October of 2004. It is now time for your education on all things insane and lasting until unholy hours of the night due to caffeine highs.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. This means that during the month of November 2005 an estimated 60,000 people from all over the world, who have signed up to do so, will write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. (I told you it was crazy.) NaNoWriMo is directed by Chris Baty. Baty is a Californian who has achieved NaNoWriMo success every year since 1999. He has also written a book called No Plot? No Problem and is a continual inspiration to those participating in NaNoWriMo.

Writing a novel is difficult. NaNoWriMo is set up so that there are forums where everyone can share their experiences. It’s a place where people can share tips and strategies, their novel-induced angst (there is a whole section of the forum entitled ‘I hate myself and I want to die’, described as ‘a club house for novelists in distress’). There is an area of the forum for different regions around the world to encourage local meet-ups and there is also a special area for young people who are planning to write their novel while going through the November exam season, piles of homework and parental taunting.

Part of the reason why NaNoWriMo works so well is because a lot of people face the same challenge at the same time, therefore everyone can help each other through the whole writing process as well as give tips and advice that they have figured out along the way.

The NaNoWriMo organisation offers not only a great opportunity for wanna-be novelists but is also a charity. In the year 2005, NaNoWriMo has set aside half its gross profits to build children’s libraries in Laos. The organisation gets all of its money through donations. There are no advertisements on the NaNoWriMo website and there are no special exclusive memberships available for paying people only; however, people who do donate money get a yellow halo next to their name on the forums, and a few gifts.

Isn’t writing 50,000 words in one month a form of torture?

Why does someone actually choose to write a novel in the space of one month? Wouldn’t the novel be better if you could take your time to properly structure your book? Wouldn’t it be easier if you had more time? According to the NaNoWriMo website, the answer is a firm ‘no’: ‘NaNoWriMo is all about the magical power of deadlines. Give someone a goal and a goal-minded community and miracles are bound to happen. Pies will be eaten at amazing rates. Alfalfa will be harvested like never before. And novels will be written in a month.’

Many people pine to write a novel, but most of us will never find the time to be successful in such an endeavour. NaNoWriMo provides a springboard for you to actually start. By taking on the challenge of writing 50,000 words in a month, all you have to do is worry about time and word count, not about your self-defeating thoughts. After November, you can do whatever you like with your novel. And, hey, you might actually find that you have written a half decent story that could maybe possibly be suitable for publication. The time limit means that you don’t worry about whether or not your novel is good –and it will not all be good–but when you challenge yourself in that way you have the potential to get a result that you can be proud of. The fact that your novel is far from perfect is completely irrelevant.

How hard is it, really?

Writing 50,000 words in a month is a challenge, but it is possible, even for those with a fulltime job. Some people actually write more than one novel at a time or achieve word counts as huge as 200,000 words. For those of us who have a life, however, it is not a rare occurrence for stories to run out of fuel, but most one-month novelists can navigate themselves out of writer’s block by doing anything from killing off a character in their story to introducing a herd of yellow elephants. When you are a story writer you are God. There are no rules to follow and you can do whatever you like in order to reach your novel goal. Novelists are actually encouraged to break the so-called ‘rules’ of writing in order to reach their desired word count. This means an abundance of adverbs and adjectives, over-narration and all the writing ‘no-no’s’ that professionals would slap you for.

Not everyone who participates in NaNoWriMo actually makes it to the Holy Grail of 50,000 words. Statistically, most people who embark on the writing adventure that is NaNoWriMo will fail. In 2004 there were 42,000 participants and, of those, less than 6000 people finished 50,000 words. And publishing? Barely anyone makes it to the stage greater than the Holy Grail; in all the years that NaNoWriMo has been running (since 1999) only seven people have managed to find a publisher for their NaNoWriMo novel (and that was after major re-working and editing). Despite these cynical statistics, when you consider that there are very few people in the world who ever finish a novel, NaNoWriMo actually makes the whole process a lot easier and more possible, despite the time and length considerations.

In order to finish a 50,000-word novel in a month you would have to write 1,667 words per day. My personal goal was to write 2,000 words per day so that I could finish ahead of time. If you ever choose to do NaNoWriMo, you will notice that on some days 2,000 words will feel like the Mt Everest of literature (all the more rewarding when you write it all out) and some days 2,000 words will be incredibly easy (which enables you to get a head start on the next day). NaNoWriMo is a mixed bag difficulty-wise. On the one hand you must suffer for your art; on the other hand it is possible to have fun with it.

The goal is clear

Writing a novel is a popular, yet difficult goal. By undertaking the NaNoWriMo challenge it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can achieve one of the greatest feats the world has to offer. But it does make things easier. There’s an air of expectation at NaNoWriMo. The program is full of novelists who want their muse, who want to be inspired and excited, who want to be competitive yet friendly, but most of all they each want to write their story.

If you have ever considered writing a novel, you should know that the best crash course in writing is NaNoWriMo. You trace a story from its early development right until the end, all in the days of November. Novel writing itself is a unique and rewarding experience. Just be prepared for some late nights and some strange looks from people whom you share your plans with.

Erin Stewart

NaNoWriMo runs annually in November. Go to nanowrimo.org for more information and to sign up for 2006.