50 000 words in 30 days: Can you do it?

It’s almost time for National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo (pronounced nano-wry-mo) as it is popularly known.

NaNoWriMo kicks off on 1 November and continues until 30 November. The month gives aspiring writers 30 days to write and submit a novel and possibly get published.

The initiative started in the United States in the San Francisco Bay area in 1999. When it started, it only had 21 members but has since grown all over the world.

To participate, aspiring writers or veterans can sign up to write a novel on the NaNoWriMo website, announce the novel they plan on writing and jump into the plot. After signing up, writers can connect with other like-minded people through forums and get access to online and in-person workshops.

While NaNoWriMo is a fun way to practise writing in solidarity with writers all over the world, entrants can also compete and win the annual challenge. To win, a writer must write 50 000 words in 30 days. Writers then validate their word count on their NaNoWriMo profile and submit.

The initiative is more than just writing for fun or even to win the challenge, it is a project that funds various camps, talks and workshops to empower those who have a gift of storytelling but don’t have the means to pursue their dream. About $480 000 (about R6.3 million) has been raised so far this year.

In Johannesburg, NaNoWriMo will kick off slightly earlier so that aspiring writers, veterans and those in-between to get to know each other and get the inspiration going.

The informal get-together will take place on 21 October, less than two weeks away from the official start. Organisers will also use the event to launch this year’s theme – superheroes.

Details
Venue: Doppio Zero, Rosebank
Date: 21 October
Time: 5pm to 8pm
More information: nanowrimo.org

Where to find South African Wrimos:

• Twitter: @ZAWrimos
• Facebook: South Africa Wrimos
• Blog: ZA Writers and Wrimos (zawrimos.blogspot.co.za)

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