Forward Planning for NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo started in San Francisco as National Novel Writing Month a little more than two decades ago. Today, it serves as an online social activity challenge for participants to complete a 50,000-word first draft in 30 days. It’s held in November to allow would-be writers the chance to “take advantage” of the northern hemisphere’s “miserable weather”.

The challenge looks easier than it actually is. To write 50,000 words in 30 days means that you have to consistently write 1,667 words a day without taking a day off, no matter your level of inspiration or whatever else you might be doing the rest of the day. Participants are asked to pre-register, and then track progress on a NaNoWriMo website, posting their word count each day. By the last week, it’s an exercise in determination.

One of the recommendations for the challenge is to buddy-up with a writing partner, someone who will encourage you to carry on to the bitter end. This can be done at the last minute, but we’re going to hold a buddying event this month, more than a half-year ahead of the start date. The goal here is to use our online platform to get would-be NaNoWriMo participants together, and thinking about what they want to write in November and how to prepare.

(More specific than our December partnering event, this will be the first of several similar online preparatory activities we will plan over the next eight months to get those writers who want to take part ready. See nanowrimo.org for more details.)