National Novel Writing Month

 Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month?

There's even an official non-profit NaNoWriMo organization.

Every year, thousands of writers (amateur and professional both) sit down on November 1st and begin working on a daunting challenge: to write an entire novel in just 30 days.

Technically, according to the official rules set forth by the NaNoWriMo (that's National Novel Writing Month abbreviated, by the way) organization, you need to write 50,000 words of original fiction, which doesn't necessarily mean writing an entire finished novel. Still, 50,000 words is a lot; assuming you type single-spaced in a normal 12 pt. font, that's around 100 pages. For additional context, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is around 48,000 words in length.

When the month is over (or their word count goal is reached), many writers simply leave it at that and move on. Others will continue writing, go back and edit their manuscripts, and get their hard work ready to submit to a publisher.

There are folks out there who have published their very first novels after doing a NaNoWriMo challenge. How cool is that?

The really cool thing about NaNoWriMo is that it's community-oriented. Writers in different areas will often form small communities and gather for camaraderie, conversation, and additional challenge, such as setting a timer and seeing who can write the most words before time runs out. These gatherings can be held anywhere; someone's home, a coffee shop… your local library… (Hint, hint.)

The official NaNoWriMo organization allows anyone ages 13 and over to sign up for the challenge, and there are additional programs available specifically for writers ages 17 and under. Their website also has tools for finding or creating groups in your local area to encourage each other, bounce ideas back and forth, and make new friends along the way.

That being said, no one ever said you have to sign up with the program to challenge yourself to write a novel. Nor do you have to do the full challenge to start out! Do you want to aim for a full 50,000 words? Do you want to aim for 1,000, or 5 million? The choice is yours!

If you'd like to challenge yourself to write this November, remember that the library has plenty of peaceful spots to set up and get words on the page. Bring your own laptop or use one of our public computers (we even have two laptops that can be checked out within the building). Work on your own, or ask about renting the community room if you get a group together.

If you'd like more information on the official challenge or the nonprofit that runs it, check out their official website here.

Do you think you'll try to hammer out a novel this year, or perhaps in the future?  Do you like working alone or in groups?  What exactly is a novel, anyway?

Let me know what you think in the comments!