If you cruise the internet in search of ideas for writing and other information, chances are good that you’ve stumbled upon the mention of NaNoWriMo at least once. At first, it may look like just a bunch of letters thrown out there, especially when it’s written in lowercase: nanowrimo. Whichever way it’s written, it still means the same thing: National Novel Writing Month.
So, when is this novel writing month? November.
According to the NaNoWriMo web site, “National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing” in which writers from around the world partake in a thirty day writing event with the ultimate goal of reaching a personal quota of 50,000 words or more.
There were a total of 256,618 participants for 2011. Out of those who registered, 36,843 writers crossed the threshold of the word count set at 50,000. Don’t allow this little bit of news to trouble you, though. You could very well be one of those 36,843 who will cross the finish line this year, or help to increase the number for the 2012 event. Of course, you won’t know unless you sign up and join in the fun!
If you would like to take part, the first thing you need to do is stop by the NaNoWriMo web site to enroll in the program. For more information, be sure to stop by the How NaNoWriMo Works page for a better understanding of how the event flows.
Aspiring young writers are welcome to join in the fun by registering for the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. This month-long creative challenge for children and teenagers offers each of them a chance to converse with other young writers, gain insight from established authors, and take on the experience of being a participant of a challenge of their creativity that they will not soon forget.
The Office of Letters and Light brings so much more to the world of writers with other programs that inspire the creativity in writers of all ages. With a variety of writing challenges and getaways that include lots of time for writing and sharing ideas, it should come as no surprise that they offer much more fun stuff.
Pep Talks that inspire creativity, Web Badges to display on your web site or blog, and a Word Count Scoreboard are just a few of the many fun things available. Whether it’s help with NaNoWriMo you are after or you’re searching for new and inspiring ideas, the forums are surely one of the best ways to find like-minded people who want you to succeed just as much as you do.
With all of the writing events and support offered from The Office of Letters and Light and from so many other writers, there’s just no reason not to jump into the fun and start writing!
Web sites for more information:
C. A. Husted 