With November quickly approaching, people nationally are stretching their fingers in anticipation of "thirty days and nights of literary abandon."Starting on the first of November is National Novel Writing Month, or, as the participants affectionately call it, NaNoWriMo. Since it started in 1999, more and more people have joined this somewhat insane event, during which the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days and thirty nights, starting as soon as the clock strikes twelve on October 31st, signaling the start of November 1st, and ending on midnight on November 30th, as soon as December rolls around.
However, as an article written in 2006 for the New York Times points out, not everyone makes this goal. Anyone planning on trying out NaNoWriMo for the first time should know that it isn’t for the faint of heart, especially students who have homework and midterm exams piled onto them throughout the month of November. It’s understandable that people wouldn’t be willing to take on the added stress of writing out an entire novel in a month. I’ve always wondered this as well: why, out of all of the months in the year, does NaNoWriMo occur in November?
Regardless, though, 20% of the people that participate (as of 2006) reach their goal. This is, in part, because of the support that novel-writers find from fellow participants on the NaNoWriMo website. During the event, there are numerous write-ins in various locations, during which participants get together and write.
As the article points out, during NaNoWriMo, quantity counts over quality. 50,000 words in 30 days and nights is your goal and you do everything you can to reach it.
Click here to read the article that I discuss that describes NaNoWriMo at length.
--Ji
3 comments:
How I wish that I had the same muse that Anne Kat has... NaNoWriMo really does shape up to be a grueling challenge, what with all the carpal tunnel syndrome, overwork and sleep deprivation entailed. My perfectionist tendencies do ten to make me linger while writing on pages and writer's block is a constant irritation of mine, after all (or maybe it is just because I need pe with being too lazy to try). Good luck to all of those planning to go through with NaNoWriMo.
Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim
wow, this is the first time I've heard of this event.... it sounds really interesting, but absolutely INSANE. i loved this article!
NaNoWriMo sounds intense! I'm impressed that high school students, with all of the tests/homework/studying even have time to do *anything* extra, much less a 50,000-word novel! Are you planning to participate in the contest this year? If so, good luck!
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