Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

Helping authors achieve their dreams

Are You Participating in NaNoWriMo?

by 254 Comments

The leaves are beginning to change, the days are getting shorter, and the air is filled with a faint whiff of “I’m going to write me a novel.” Yes, it’s nearly November, which means nearly time for NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, wherein thousands of people around the globe attempt to write a novel in a month and opt for plot over pumpkin pie, turning points over turkey, and foreshadowing over football.

Are you participating? What do you think of NaNoWriMo? Is it a great opportunity to finally get over the hump and get that novel going? Or is writing best done when not in a mad dash?

Let this also serve as a preview for a NaNoWriMo themed week on the blog next week, wherein I will attempt to get those who are participating in the right frame of mind to write pages like they have never written pages before.

Subscribe to the blog!

Subscribe to the newsletter and get a FREE writing, publishing, or marketing course.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. ajkulig says

    I love NaNo if for no other reason than the people. It's nice having so much company with a comoon goal. To be honest, I often write my MG books in a month, so for NaNo I like to stetch myself.

    Reply

  5. Cherie Reich says

    *raises hand* Yes, I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year. It'll be my second year in a row attempting the mad dash of words and hoping some of them make sense at the end of it. Last year, I wrote 68,000 words in a month of a YA novel. This year, I'm trying to go into my next novel with a bit more planning and hoping it'll be around 80,000 words. We'll see. I really did enjoy it last year, though. There is nothing quite like it.

    Reply

  6. Quinn says

    I did it twice, and to this day I wonder if I ever would have started writing novels if it weren't for Nanowrimo. It's kind of magical, the way it turns novel-writing into a social event and makes it seem so much less daunting. I don't think I'll be doing it this year, but one of these Novembers I'm sure I'll jump back into it.

    Reply

  7. Anne R. Allen says

    My carpal tunnels are way too stressed to try it this year, but Natalie Whipple says she's doing her own "NaNoReaMo" in November. She's reading at least three novels a week all month. I think I'll join her. For people who are doing NaNoWriMo, I've got some tips on my blog.

    Reply

  8. ryan field says

    I never participated but always thought it was a great event for writers…as a motivational tool.

    And I've always wanted to participate, but never made the time. I have this mainstream novel just sitting around and probably should do something with it.

    Reply

  9. Kate Larkindale says

    I'm doing it. It's a great way to knock out a first draft without getting bogged down. You just have to write the thing, no time to procrastinate over the right words or phrases, just get that story out!

    Reply