The first time I heard the word “nanowrimo” I was 12, and I didn’t realize it was an acronym. My best friend quickly explained that nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month, an event in November in which participants attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days.

Sound ridiculous? Well, the point of NanoWrimo is not for you to produce a best selling novel. The point of NanoWrimo is to get yourself to generate 50,000 words of coherent writing. Even if it’s crap!H

See, NanoWrimo is all about the quantity, not the quality, of your work. Here’s an explanation that comes straight from the about page:

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

This is the ultimate freewriting exercise, and it’s a whole lot of fun if you don’t happen to have anything important going on in November. Let me tell you how it works:

How to Participate in NanoWrimo

So, how do you participate in this magical event? Well, the first step is to register an account on NanoWrimo.org. Once you’ve registered, you can fill out your author bio information and then sit tight until November rolls around. Once day one hits, here’s what you do:

Write!

The most important thing you can do to help yourself accomplish this challenge is to write everyday! Bulk write the first few weeks and take a day off or split the 50,000 evenly and try to hit goals – it doesn’t matter. As long as you continue writing, you’re one step closer to your goals.

Do Not Edit Your Work!

Revisions and grammar are all well and good, but we’re not aiming for quality, we’re aiming for speed. Do not go back and start editing your work while you’re writing, it only slows you down.

Update Your Totals!

Once you’ve gotten some words written, head on over to your author page and update your word totals. Nanowrimo will count your words for you if you just paste your manuscript into the box. Updating your totals will help you keep track of how well you’re doing, and it will allow you to share your progress with others.

Participate in the Community!

NanoWrimo has its own community forums, open to the participants. When you get stuck, just jump on board for pointers or motivation. Everybody is in this together, after all.

For a more comprehensive guide, check out the How NanoWrimo Works page.

What Do You Think?

Are you participating in NanoWrimo this year? Do you want to check out my NanoWrimo page? What kind of story are you planning to write? Share your thoughts and opinions below!

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