November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Now in it’s 20th year, NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge. The goal? Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. That works out to 1,667 words each day during the month of November. This amazing challenge not only helps you get a lot of words down and work out a story line, it also helps establish the daily writing habit. While it’s a huge challenge to complete, it’s also an amazing accomplishment.
So, if you do it what do you win? Well, a certificate of achievement, bragging rights, and, most importantly, the foundation of a new novel. True NaNo die hards show up at a blank page on November 1st and they see what happens (no plotting or planning). This is my preferred method. But, You can certainly plot in advance if you so choose. You can come to the page with an idea or a character or a bit of story in your head. And, while the goal is to write a novel, a work of fiction, there’s always a strong contingent of those who “go rogue” and write nonfiction or continue work on a book in progress or, well, fill in the blank.
If you decide to take on the NaNoWriMo challenge, be sure to add me as your “Buddy.” My NaNo handle is Gak13.
The Writer Workshop will offer 6 NaNoWriMo Write-ins during the month of November. Come, spend some time writing with friends, and receive a free gift. Download the Calendar for all the November events.