Write a whole book in November with NaNoWriMo

WRITERS or aspiring writers, pick up your pens or your laptops as November is Novel-Writing Month, fondly known as NaNoWriMo. Writers from all over the world, new and nervous, old and bold, or jaded and depleted, get together to write a novel of at least 50 000 words during the month of November. The joy of it: You get to track your writing every day and find support from fellow nanowrimo-ers during the difficult slump in the middle of the month when you want to throw that pen or laptop against the wall and go lie on the beach instead.

Have you ever wanted to write a book but don’t know how to start? Or your creative muse only seems to come out to play on the odd occasion? Well, NaNoWriMo may just be the kick in the butt you need because there is nothing like a community and emails in your inbox and a sense of competition to get you to stick to a difficult goal. And a strict time limit!! It’s all about community support and the camaraderie of a common goal. And it’s free!

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As NaNoWriMo says on their website, “NaNoWriMo is a … non-profit organisation that provides tools, structure, community and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals and build new worlds – on and off the page.”

The NPO started up in 1999 with only 21 writers taking part, and it has grown exponentially since then, with 2017 recording over 306 000 taking part. Not only does the website provide education and training for writers, it houses online communities and is run by over 900 volunteers from all over the world. They rely on donations to keep running. They provide a Young Writer’s Program that also offers an online community for the 30 days of November, enabling writers under 18 to participate in the month of writing with a more manageable goal of their own making with much instructional support. There are also Camp NaNoWriMos to take part in during other times of the year.

So, how do you do it? Well, first of all, you need to create an online account with them. Then spruce up your profile with info about yourself and the name of the novel you intend to write. You can call it anything you want – the name is preliminary and not set in stone. You can add a blurb (a short, enticing summary of your story) but that’s not required. These things are just for your own motivation. If you are keen to get community support and social interaction with fellow writers, you can look for an online group in your area or one that fits the genre you are writing. The best one for Durbanites would be the Africa :: South Africa :: Elsewhere group. Navigate the NaNoWriMo website to familiarise yourself with the ins and outs, and then start brainstorming a novel idea. Once you start writing on November 1, you can track your word count daily and watch the graph to see your progress. There’s nothing like that feeling when you reach the 50 000 word goal. You even get to download a digital badge you can show off on your social media accounts.

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As a past nanowrimo-er – and not always a successful one – I have to say that the best way to achieve the goal and win the digital NaNo 2022 badge is to not edit your work as you write. Just write. Let your imagination take flight. All that sweat and tears can come after November. Remember, to reach the 50 000 word goal for the 30 days, you need to write at least 1 666 words per day. That’s a few pages on Word. Aim to have fun. And maybe just maybe, your work will pay off and you will have a book that you are proud of – after you’ve perfected the rough first draft. But most of all, you would have formed a new habit and done something you’ve always dreamed of doing, and possibly met other writers and made friends.

Just make sure that the coffee machine is always on – you’ll need it.

You can find the NaNoWriMo website here: https://nanowrimo.org/
And their Young Writers Program here: https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

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