NaNoWriMo--30 days of literary abandon

November 2, 11:36 PMLexington Literature ExaminerJ.W. Coffey

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November is National Novel Writing Month thanks to NaNoWriMo.org
Logo courtesy of NaNoWriMo

Have a good idea for novel? Looking for a little encouragement? Or a place where you can brag a little, show off your progress, even find others doing the same? Look no further, NaNoWriMo is the place for you.

Begun in 1999 by freelance author Chris Baty and friends, NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth the website started off with twenty one like minded souls who wanted to spend the entire month of November doing nothing but writing that story within. That year, NaNoWriMo had six winners who managed to polish off a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

Last year, NaNoWriMo pulled in 119,301 participants from all over the world and the number of winners from 2008 was approximately 28,000. Those who complete their 50,000 word novel or the 50,000 word commitment are rewarded with a Winners icon that can be displayed on the participant's blog and/or website, or where ever one wishes to post it.

Now, you'd be hard pressed to find a publisher that considered 50,000 words to be a novel. But the point of NaNoWriMo is to focus your skills on writing a story, getting it "on paper" (or on word document if you write like most of us do--on the computer). Authors are given encouragement, pep talks from local chapter heads, advice on how to avoid everything from writer's block to underdeveloped plots. Participants have a profile where they can boast of accomplishments, follow friends and compete in word to word contests, and even post their word counts as they proceed through the month. Everything in the spirit of friendly competition and accomplishment.

NaNoWriMo also boasts a long list of published authors that have seen their books picked up by major traditional publishers, for example:

# Jon F. Merz---The Destructor (Lawson Vampire Novels) (Pinnacle Books, 2003).

# Lani Diane Rich---Time Off for Good Behavior (Warner Books, 2004), Maybe Baby (Warner Books, 2005), and Wish You Were Here (Warner Books, 2008).

# Sara Gruen---: Flying Changes (HarperCollins, 2005) and Water for Elephants (Algonquin, 2007).

# Rebecca Agiewich---BreakupBabe (Ballantine Books, 2006).

Now run by the not-for-profit group Office of Letters and Light based in Oakland, Ca, NaNoWriMo is expecting over 150,000 participants this year. And Amazon.com has also donated a $25,000 grant to NaNoWriMo's operating budget for this year.

You can find more information on NaNoWriMo on their website.