close menu

Heads Up, Novelist Wannabes: It’s NaNoWriMo Time

Well, it’s time to write the novel you’ve been putting off for all this time. And by that I mean it’s really time, like, now, because it’s November, once again time for National Novel Writing Month, the dreaded NaNoWriMo. By now, you should know the drill: You’re challenged to write a whole novel in one month, 30 days, 50,000 words, with a hard deadline of midnight local time on November 30th. It doesn’t matter what it’s about or how good it is or anything; you just register, hammer it out from scratch, upload it to the NaNoWriMo website, they certify that you wrote 50,000 words (one word repeated 50,000 times doesn’t count), and you get a certificate saying that you did it. That’s it. There are groups all over the place who offer support and encouragement, and you can get word count widgets and other stuff to help you out at the website, too.

It’s less an exercise in writing well than it is an exercise in breaking past the block you put on yourself that prevents you from writing or, for that matter, doing anything. Nobody’s going to judge what you write, but some NaNoWriMo novels have ended up published, and some by major publishers, so you never know. But if you’ve been meaning to write a novel and need a kick in the butt to get going, your annual kick in the butt is here. Go write something.

(Me? No time. Yeah, I know, but YOU write on two jobs all day and use whatever time you have left to write some more. I prefer my head not to explode, thank you. Or should I give it a shot? Sleep is overrated…)

The Mysterious Medical Condition That Gives People Dragon Faces

The Mysterious Medical Condition That Gives People Dragon Faces

article
Daniel Radcliffe's Penis Saves the Day in SWISS ARMY MAN Red Band Trailer

Daniel Radcliffe's Penis Saves the Day in SWISS ARMY MAN Red Band Trailer

article
What Kind of Poison is THE PRINCESS BRIDE's Iocane Powder?

What Kind of Poison is THE PRINCESS BRIDE's Iocane Powder?

video

Comments

  1. And, done. On the last day. Last minute booya.

  2. Russell W says:

    That’s the spirit @John

    It took me two years to finish my second book. You just keep truckin’.

  3. Day 14, and I’m 19,545 words in. Only 3,788 words behind. I’m not worried. See this? It’s my not worried face.

  4. Russell W says:

    I’m working on one. It being the 13th, I’m slightly behind, but I can pick up the slack this week. I’m posting as I go, too, so you can read along at

    http://troped.com/threads/the-hunger-engine/

  5. John says:

    I’ve started one but no way I’m finishing by the end of this month. Still I’m encouraged to go on!

  6. RG says:

    Hmm… I’m 65,271 words into writing my first novel, after many a failed attempt at creative hobbies/pursuits/careers. I started in late August, but I cannot imagine doing this… and I am horrible about self-motivation these days.

    Wish this had some kind of, yunno, reward. That is, a reward beyond those ever-virtuous perks of human support and praise.