by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve never officially been part of National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo: more about the event here. If you’re interested in signing up, here’s how). Wikipedia’s NaNoWriMo entry explains how to ‘win’ at the event:
To win NaNoWriMo, participants must write an average of approximately 1,667 words per day in November to reach the goal of 50,000 words written toward a novel. Organizers of the event say that the aim is to get people to start writing, using the deadline as an incentive to get the story going and to put words to paper….NaNoWriMo focuses on the length of a work rather than the quality, encouraging writers to finish their first draft so that it can later be edited at the author’s discretion.
To be a regular participant, you are to start on a brand-new manuscript on November 1. I’m always in the middle of a project at that point. Besides, there’s Thanksgiving to think about. It’s never been the most convenient time for me. (If you’re like me, there’s also Camp NaNo, in April and July).
But I’ve always fed off of the energy and the writing sprints of the NaNoWriMo community. I lurk in the forums and get motivated.
I also tend to beat my usual writing goal…by a huge amount.
I’ve also, in the past, looked at it as an opportunity to get other writing-related things done.
NaNoWriMo is well-aware that there are rebels among them. :) They have a special forum for rebels that states:
