Every November, I attempt to finish NaNoWriMo, the ultimate challenge for any writing. For those of you that follow my blog and are aware of this event, you might already be shuddering at the memories or perhaps preening at your own past success. For those of you not in the know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and where a writer will aim to write 50,000 words in the 30 day period.
50,000 words is the length of novel, thus the name. It’s a bit of a challenge.
I have only managed to complete NaNoWriMo once, back in 2009 when I was in Australia and had a complete lack of distractions. It was such a proud moment after three failed years whilst I was at university and sadly the last few years I’ve either not tried or given up almost immediately. But this year I hope to reclaim NaNoWriMo victory!
You don’t have to write on their site and no one will see what messy writing you’re creating. Instead, you just update your personal wordcount and NaNoWriMo will helpfully create a chart that shows your progress throughout the month. At the end, when you’ve reached that amazing 50,001st word, you save the document as a PDF and NaNoWriMo check that you haven’t just typed up the dictionary! Your left with a mountain of words to call your own and a huge chunk of a first draft done if you’re serious about getting your novel published.
NaNoWriMo don’t just offer you the chance to throw your life away for a month in the constant pursuit of more words, they’re also a charity that invites children around the world to participate in a smaller version of NaNoWriMo. Schools can be involved as a way to encourage their students to write more and I think it’s a wonderful way to promote creativity and literacy.
Every year, NaNoWriMo chooses a different theme for the year. Last year it was a camping thing and the year before it involved animals. They were both very cute but neither can compete with the 2009 novel machine design that I purchased on a t shirt! In fact, it must have been incredibly popular as it’s still available in their store! This year, I love the three circle design that they have come up with and also adore all the new products I can see in the store, including a novel wristband that comes with a build in USB stick! Perfect for writing on the go of it you like to type on different computers at work or school.
You can set up your own NaNoWriMo account in just a few clicks and get ready for a month of late nights and masses of writing! I cannot recommend this enough if you have a novel in the works and you need a kick up the backside to get on with it! So check it out if you’ve never heard of it before or get back into it if you’re wondering about whether you want to give it another go! My username is Kalaki and I welcome more writing buddies for 2012’s NaNoWriMo!
Articulate & Intricate 