Sabrina Black
Who would be so insane as to attempt to write a complete novel in merely thirty days? Actually, many people would be, and are, myself included. November is designated as National Novel Writing Month, abbreviated as NaNoWriMo. The official website for the event may be found here:
The goal is to write 50,000 words in the single month of November, which averages to around 1,667 words each day. The idea is to overcome the terrible procrastination so many author-wannabes go through. A deadline is often highly motivating.
Of course, much of what is written in the frantic scribbling to reach the word quota is complete rubbish—my novel-in-progress contains such typos as “interely” and “sandwhich.”
Even if the final product is completely atrocious, the feeling of accomplishment and self-fulfillment upon completion outweighs all of those doubts and finger cramps earned from too much typing. It is up to you whether you burn your novel or attempt to publish it or feed it to your dog. In fact, some novels written for NaNoWriMo have been published.
Clearly, the event is popular, as it is currently in its thirteenth year. In 2009, there were 167,150 participants, 32,178 of whom succeeded.
I’m afraid I’ll have to cut this short—I must get back to my writing!
