The Uyen Cao
You want to be a published author, explore new literary horizons, maybe even score a publishing contract… But you also suffer from a serious lack of motivation and/or support network to cheer you on to the last word of your novel.
Fear no more, fellow aspiring authors! NaNoWriMo is the perfect event for you to stay on task and even be rewarded at the end of it all.
The non-profit organisation originally began in 1999 and has been running since. The event encourages all writers to complete a novel of over 50,000 words in the month of November; hence its name, National Novel Writing Month.
The event has proven to be a huge success internationally, with nearly half a million participants in 2015 and over 250 published NaNoWriMo-original novels. Ever read Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, or Marissa Meyer’s Cinder? You can thank NaNoWriMo for cultivating their authors’ imagination and motivation!
The organisation behind it all has also organised different events and programs to cater to all needs and purposes, such as Camp NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program. To read more about the NaNoWriMo progams, hop on over to the official website.
The National Novel Writing Month officially begins on the 1st of November, and ends on the 30th of November. Within these few weeks, writers all over the world are frantically organising their ideas and writing faster than their keyboards and pens can handle. You can update your wordcount as often as you like to make sure you stay on track.
Sounds fun, right?
While some participants are already on their way to the elusive 50,000-words mark, others might have only just heard of the event. If that describes your situation pretty accurately, then don’t fret — there’s always next year and other equally motivating events, like the aforementioned Camp NaNoWriMo, which encourages writers to get their creative juices flowing before the big event.
In the meantime, you can also set up a profile in preparation for November. Write a neat introduction about your taste in literature and music to connect with like-minded authors. In the weeks preceding the event, you can even upload a title and synopsis for your planned novel.
Not to mention, registered participants have access to helpful resources about staying motivated in November, ways to foster inspiration for a story and useful tools to write a good story.
When the time comes for you to write your first, second, maybe even third NaNoWriMo novel, you’ll be revving to go, pens and keyboards at the ready.
To sweeten the deal even more, winners — anyone who completes the 50,000 words within November — are privy to exclusive discounts and prizes in the winners’ sweepstakes.
At the end of November, check out the prizes page, and reap the rewards of all your blood, sweat and tears!
So have you decided to register to write your first NaNoWriMo novel? Tell us about your story on Twitter at @Fuzzable!
