Introduction to National Novel Writing Month

It’s still October, but the preparations for NaNoWriMo start right now! In case you didn’t guess, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, where participants attempt the mammoth task of completing 50,000 words in a month. It was founded by writer Chris Baty in 1999, where there were only 21 participants! Now, it has grown to over lakhs of participants from all over the world. A lot of people view it with disdain because it prioritizes quantity over quality. But you can view it as a step in your writing process. Apart from this, there are several benefits of taking part in NaNoWriMo:

1. There is the urgency of a one-month deadline to prod you to sit down and write that book you’ve often thought about.
2. You can challenge yourself to find creative ways to sustain momentum and finish writing your book.
3. Even if you don’t win, you get to learn a lot about the process and form new connections with new writers.
4. Setting new writing challenges is a good way to focus on your craft, plus It’s fun!

What are the NaNoWriMo rules?

• Write 50,000 words between the 1st and the 30th of November.
• Only count words written during November. Character sketches, outlines, and research are included.
• Write a novel!