NaNoWriMo is Here!

As I’ve said in the past, I’m a writer. For many writers, the month of November has particular significance. It is National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo, for short. I’m not sure if NaNoWriMo started before November was declared as National Novel Writing Month or if that’s why Chris Baty and others chose November for their experiment. However it started, NaNoWriMo has grown into an international event. During this month, writers from all over the world attempt to “write a novel in a month,” or, to be more specific, to write 50,000 words during the month.. Why? To say they did it, of course! Oh, and maybe for the winner’s logo they get to download from NaNoWriMo.org. :)

Anyone can be a winner. All they have to do is write 50,000 words on their novel during the month of November. Truth be told, they could just pretend to write that many words, trick the word counter (which really does only count words) and get a winner’s logo. Why bother, though? There are no monetary awards (unless the novelist sells the book to a publisher) and the bragging rights won are pretty hollow if won through cheating.

I’m one of tens of thousands of writers who attempt this heroic feat. I’ve participated for three years, this will be my fourth. I won (meaning I wrote 50,000+ words) in 2005 and plan to win again this year! You can watch my progress at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/34061.