Finishing Your First Novel With NaNoWriMo
How many times have you heard someone say they'd like to write a novel? Or maybe they don't say it in so many words, but they constantly tell you how they have a great idea for a story. With the wide interest in writing, it's surprising how few people actually go on to write a novel. Many start the process, maybe even getting a hundred or two pages in, but eventually the story gets put aside, the file sits quietly untouched on the computer or the journal starts accumulating dust in a desk. This habit has not gone unnoticed and NaNoWriMo was an attempt at stopping this process and getting people to actually write a novel.
NaNoWriMo, more easily recognized by some as National Novel Writing Month, is an effort to get casual writers to buckle down and complete a novel. During the month of November, NaNoWriMo challenges writers to complete a novel. It doesn't have to be a Pulitzer Prize winner; it doesn't even have to be edited. With NaNoWriMo, the only goal is to complete the novel.
After hearing about the concept, some people visit the site and immediately lose interest in the concept. NaNoWriMo is very informal, with the only measurement of your novel's "completeness" being the word length. Once a novel reaches 50,000 words, you upload it to the site, and are rewarded with a certificate saying you completed your novel. The site doesn't even keep your novel on record, deleting the file as soon as you upload it to remove fears that they'll steal your work and sell it to the highest bidder.
Don't be discouraged by the informality of National Novel Writing Month. The entire process is about having a good time, and overcoming your fear of finishing a novel. The community is very friendly and you will see discussion groups pop up around the Internet where people share what point they are at in their story, and how many words they have reached. Most of the works never go on to become published books, but the achievement is something many people never forget. Friends send their books to one another, and people can now proudly tell others that they've written a novel.
If you are finding yourself stuck in this position, with manuscript after manuscript of twenty or thirty thousand words sitting on your desk, NaNoWriMo might be right for you. It's a friendly venture that can help you connect with other writers, and finally see your book reach its fruition.So give it a try, and see if you can finally call yourself a novelist.
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