NaNoWriMo
In 1999 a bunch of young men had a weird idea: Can we write a novel in just a single month?
They knew it was a silly idea. They had no experience in writing. No classes. No clue. No plot.
The only definition: It had to have 50,000 words.
But they did it anyway. They loved books, they loved the idea of being a novelist – and so they just went and did it, and almost by accident, started a worldwide movement.
By now, NaNoWriMo is a huge event, with millions of participants.
The first time around, they did it in July. And of 21 participants, six crossed the finishing line.
All discovered a lot about themselves and writing.
For me, NaNo (as it’s affectionately called in the writing world now) is mostly an inspiration, and the actual nudge to sit down and get some serious writing done.
I’ve participated many times, and got a few completed novels out of it, as well as plenty ideas and stalled attempts. Not every year has been good.
NaNo is your chance to buckle up and write, with the support of a massive, worldwide community. There’s a website with forums, and thousands and thousands of people. There are regional meetings and writing buddies.
If you ever dreamed about writing a novel, this is your best chance. I’m serious.
If you ever wanted to write a novel, do it in November.
And sign up now. Here.
I know that writing a whole novel seems daunting. I mean, 50,000 words!
That actually comes down to 1,567 words per day, which isn’t that bad. It usually takes me about an hour to do that, and I try to split it up into half an hour before the Day Job, and half an hour after I get home.
And I can tell you with some confidence that it is doable.
The best part of it? Don’t worry about plot. Just get writing.
Here’s some tapping to help you with that:
Even though the whole idea of writing a novel in a month is both exhilarating and totally scary, I’m okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to give it a try.
Even though it feels utterly insane to write a novel when I have no experience with novels, I’m totally okay, and I choose to know that I have read hundreds of novels and learned from them.
Even though the thought of writing a novel that fast feels totally absurd, I’m still totally okay the way I am, and I now allow myself to feel that giddy feeling of doing something silly and awesome.
Your Turn:
What do you think about writing a novel?
How about writing it in a month?
What happened while you were tapping?
And finally – what are you creating right now?
Please share in a comment!
Image Source: National Novel Writing Month
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