What exactly is NaNoWriMo?
The well-known acronym stands for National Novel Writing Month and is a non for profit organisation that challenges writers, both amateur and professional, to write a 50,000-page novel in one month during November.
NaNoWriMo supports a variety of philanthropic endeavours with the money that is raised every year through donations made to the charity. NanoWriMo is a global charity, and the challenge is undertaken by writers worldwide.
Now, how do you write a 50,000-page novel in one month? Well, although daunting, there are lots of resources created by the global community of fellow writers. For example, NaNoWriMo has a website where you can interact with fellow ‘wrimo’s’ from your region, and there is the ability to establish your own writing deadlines to keep yourself on track. There is also the opportunity to join other writing groups to share their experiences of writing their novel. Before the start of NaNoWriMo, writers often spend October, or “preptober” as it’s known, to start planning, worldbuilding, and crafting their characters. This process is deeply personal to each writer as the truth is, there isn’t one size fits all. Every person has a unique method of how they embark upon the journey of storytelling. Each process ranging from the first draft to the final stages of editing are an exploration of oneself to determine which methods suit each writer best. Often, it's a case of trial and error until one’s style emerges organically on its own; this is often known as the writer’s voice.
NaNoWriMo might seem like a gargantuan task, and in some ways, it can feel overwhelming. However, once the 50,000-word count is broken down, it can be far more manageable. Writers typically have to write 1,667 words per day, though some write more and others write less. There’s often a lot of buzz around the writing community around November, with many prominent writers releasing digital content, like podcasts and Youtube videos, outlining the best methods to plan a novel, arrange your day of writing, character creation, and other vital topics.
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