If you have ever wanted to write a novel, then now is the time to do it! November is National Novel Writing Month. In honor of National Novel Writing Month each year thousands of writers work towards a common goal: to complete a 50,000 word novel in a month’s time.
In order to participate in the contest all you have to do is sign up on the National Novel Writing Month (NanWriMo) website. The contest is entirely web based. You can begin writing your book at 12:01 am November 1st, and attempt to complete it by November 30th at 11:59pm. A completed manuscript is considered to be a 50,000 word document which is the equivalent of a 175 page book.
Last year there were over 59,000 participants in the event, with over 10,000 of then crossing the finish line and completing a novel. Winners receive nothing more than the satisfaction of knowing that they are in fact a winner, and of course, they will have a completed book.
Throughout the month you can log onto their web page and upload your word count for the day, charting your progress. There are forums where you can get help with you plot, discuss writing problems you’ve encountered, or meet people in your area who are also participating.
Most areas also have Municipal Liasons that are in charge of setting up a kick-off party for participants in your area, as well as an ending celebration. Most areas will also have “write-in’s” where participants can get together on a weekly basis and write together.
The idea behind the event is that most people have a novel in them, a novel they are dying to write but every time they start to write it they get sidetracked, come up with something better to do, decide its crap and go back and edit themselves. Nano is a pure quantity over quality endeavor forcing you to keep writing no matter what.
If you’ve always wanted to write a novel, now is your time! Check out the Nano Website today!