In case you missed it, November is a pretty big writing month for authors. Why? Because of a little thing called NaNoWriMo. If you haven’t yet heard of it—or have heard of it but don’t know much about it—don’t worry: we’re about to break it down.
What is it?
Signing up for NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) is signing a pledge to yourself and others that you will complete a 50,000 word novel within the month of November.
The website is just a platform to keep you inspired and motivated—you won’t actually write your novel on there. But you can earn achievement awards and milestone badges. Plus, you’ll be tethered into writers from all around the world who are also participating (the 2015 writer count is over 20,000, and those writers span every continent except Antarctica).
You can sign up on the website, and yes, it is free to sign up.
Why do it?
Mainly because it’ll inspire you to write. You’ll have already declared a working title and synopsis, and you have a set number of words you should be hitting each day.
If you’re feeling a bit lackluster, you can browse through the website for some inspiration from NaNoWriMo authors and coaches and cheerleaders as well as look for events in which you can participate to get that creativity flowing. And chances are there are a good handful of writers within your social circle who are participating as well, which makes for a great excuse to grab coffee, talk writing, and solidify some friendships.
Shy? Don’t worry. You won’t be posting until the end of November, so your work in progress is private until you’re comfortable with sharing. And if you really don’t feel up to making your story public come the end of November, you can always drop out (although we don’t suggest this—when it comes to sharing work, you’ve got to start somewhere).
If you need further encouragement, here goes: you can win some pretty incredible prizes. This shouldn’t be the primary concern of joining, but it is pretty darn enticing, especially when you consider that there’s no cost to you in signing up (monetary cost, that is—we can’t attest to emotional cost).
Plus, it supports some pretty neat causes that focus on providing the skills, tools, and havens necessary for writers of all ages.
So, are you convinced?
You can still sign up for this year’s NaNoWriMo—you’ll have a lot of catching up to do, but if you’ve been searching for that extra push, it might be worth it. If you’re not feeling that motivated, we understand, but we’re expecting to see you there next November!
