The Eagle Times

NaNoWriMo: it doesn’t sound much like anything, other than Gibberish. It actually stands for National Novel Writing Month, which November is devoted to. The concept is that writers all over the world begin writing on the first of the month, and their goal is to finish a novel by the end of the thirty days.

The project was started by Chris Baty in July of 1999, and since then 80,000 participants have written novels during NaNoWriMo. When many people hear the word “novel,” they automatically assume that the contest isn’t possible. However, NaNoWriMo is a chance for writers—both professional and amateur—to write down whatever they think, without worrying about editing the quality. “It’s basically a month-long freewrite,” said Mrs. Hedges upon being questioned of her knowledge of NaNoWriMo.

Allowing others to view their novel is entirely optional, according to the official website, http://www.nanowrimo.org. The word count goal is also up to the author, though the average goal is 50,000 words; though this length is considered by some a novella, the word “novel” is still used because it’s more impressive (http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/basics).

Famous participants include Meg Cabot, author of the internationally-bestselling series The Princess Diaries. I myself may even venture to participate in NaNoWriMo this year.

By Susie LeJeune