Preparing For National Novel Writer’s Month: What is it?
I have wanted to participate in National Novel Writer’s Month for years, but every year something’s kept me from it. Either I’ve had a story in progress that I couldn’t set aside or life got in the way. This year, I’m going to go for it and I want to start it out right and I’d like to help you do the same.
For those unfamiliar with it, National Novel Writer Month (NaNoWriMo) is a November writing challenge to complete a 50,000-word manuscript between November 1 and November 30. The challenge has been going since 1999 and hundreds of thousands of people have participated. Beginning November 20, participants can submit their novel to https://www.nanowrimo.org/ in order to be automatically verified for length and receive a printable certificate, an icon they can display on the web, and inclusion on the list of winners.
There is also a social element to NaNoWriMo. If you go on the official website, you can set up a profile where you can post your current project, your goals, and details about your novel. You can track your progress and earn badges for your work.
The manuscript you create does not have to be edited or ready to publish at the end of the month. You’re writing a first draft, so stream-of-consciousness-style writing is fine. This is a great chance to explore new genres and stretch yourself as a writer. For example, I’ve been working on a fantasy/science fiction novel for over a year, so I’m going to switch things up and try my hand at comedy this NaNoWriMo.
October is a great time to start planning out your novel. I’m working on outlining and character development now so that when November 1st rolls around, I can just sit back and start writing. Besides, it’s the Halloween season, which is great for some inspiration.
I’ll be writing under my pen name, Mitchlyn Roberts, so if you’d like to follow me this NaNoWriMo, you can check out my profile here. Let me know yours and I’ll be happy to follow your project as well. Happy writing!
