You, too can become a Novelist!

Cristina Romano

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Have you ever dreamed of becoming a novelist, but never quite got the right motivational push to begin writing? Or, do you simply just love being under a constant deadline? Well, consider joining NaNoWriMo, a site designed for inspiring novelists (or anyone who simply wants to go on an extreme writing binge from now until the end of November.) However, even though we are already a few days into the month, it is not too late to sign up – although you will have to somehow find a way to make up for lost time. Don’t worry, you can cram it in, just like you crammed in that philosophy paper you had to write last week.

Short for “National Novel Writing Month”, NaNoWriMo challenges users to write 50,000 words (yes, that’s 175 pages) in 30 days, before December rolls around. According to the NaNoWriMo website, their goal is to foster enthusiasm and perseverance for the novel-writing process for “everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel, but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.” Even if you are a perfectionist, NaNoWriMo is not about creating the perfect story – it simply just encourages you to write about anything and everything that crosses your mind. “It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly” says the website.

One way to think of NaNoWriMo is like a marathon. You technically don’t win anything in the end, except a sense of accomplishment. You can also compare your progress to other aspiring novel writers in New York or across the world to see where you stack up in terms of word count. At midnight on November 30th, if you complete the 50,000 word mark, you will be added to the official list of winners and will become a “novelist”! So, what are you waiting for? Write away!