Nanowrimo

The point is to make yourself write a 50,000+ word novel in a month. That’s roughly 1666.6 words a day. Of course you can go over that if you want. It’s meant to be rough, messy, unedited brain vomit. So you don’t have to worry about how good it is, just focus on getting it all written down, then you can edit, revise, and throw things out later. Prizes include a winner’s certificate, eternal joy, finger cramps, lack of sleep, wrinkles, gray hairs, and a 50,000-word novel! And, of course, bragging rights. This means that anyone can win- all you have to do is finish writing the book.

You can create an account at any time by going to NaNoWriMo.org. There, you can make a profile for yourself and your book, update your word count daily, and explore the stories of other authors. The site hooks you up with others in your region so that you can go to parties and write ins throughout the month. Videos are uploaded periodicaly to give you a little boost in morale, and plenty of kind emails are sent out as well.

NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization, so it takes tons of support for them to manage the site, especially when traffic is heavy in the heart of November. To find the money, they sell merchandise in an online store and ask for donations from generous nano-loving writers. Donations can be in any size, and there are even ways for you to donate when you don’t have money.

Last year, I completed my novel, Abby Dante, in roughly twenty days because I kept skipping a few and having to catch up. That just proves that it can be done. I edited the novel and put it online, and it has gained a number of fans.

This year, I’ll be writing a new novel in another genre with new characters, and I’ll try to actually spend 30 days on it.

So if you’re planning on writing a book someday, take advantage of this! If a sixteen-year-old girl in the band, choir, ap classes, an active church youth group and various other activities can do it, (and still get A’s, mind you), then you can too!

The subject of your novel is irrelevant. If you want to write 50,000 words about a cloud, go for it. The only real rule is that it has to be fiction. Poetry is even a possibility. This is something that I would suggest to any writer- it’s tons of fun, and it could someday lead to me writing that bestseller I’m working on. I know there are others with just as many creative ideas- go for it. Write them down. Someone might just want to read it.