In 2013, over 602,000 writers embarked on a challenge to write a novel of 50,000 words in a single month. Every year participants celebrate National Novel Writing Month with NaNoWriMo by stocking up on their favorite beverage, laying out their inspirational charms, and pecking out novels on their computers. A community has grown up around the site and the event, supporting writers of all genres and experience levels.
This November will be the 16th annual NaNoWriMo event. Each year the number of participants grows and the community becomes larger and larger. The authors create a support network on the forums and can always be assured of having someone in the wings cheering them on toward their goals. Additional writing groups and support networks have sprung from the masses, and have begun to inspire even the youngest authors to reach for their writing dreams.
As a non-profit, NaNoWriMo is sponsored by such names as Amazon, Kindle, Kobo, Lulu, CreateSpace, Wattpad, and more. There are also ways to donate to the organization directly. Where do all these proceeds go? All donations go toward maintaining the website, providing classroom resources, kits and “pep talks” to encourage writers. Because of the efforts of NaNoWriMo, students and amateur writers all over the world are getting excited about writing.
The challenge isn’t just for new writers, though. Some very famous names have participated in years past. The pep talks (letters written to the NaNo community) are from some well established authors such as Patrick Rothfuss, James Patterson, Mercedes Lackey, Lemony Snicket, Neil Gaiman, and Piers Anthony. That’s just naming a few.
Writers are also rewarded for their hard work. The corporate sponsors offer discounts or free swag to members that make it all the way to the target word count, and there is a shop with tons of NaNo flair available for purchase. The event offers plenty of incentive to reach your goals.
So have you been putting off that novel? Have you thought that there just isn’t time, or that you just aren’t cut out for it? Try NaNoWriMo this year and maybe you’ll surprise yourself. You have nothing to lose, and a novel to gain. And when you’re done writing, come on back to Simply Written and get it converted into a beautiful ebook file! Good luck!