NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month, now known as NaNoWriMo, began as a creative writing challenge in San Francisco among a group of friends in July 1999. The goal was to write a novel of at least 50,000 words in exactly one month. Word of mouth spread and by 2000, NaNoWriMo was moved to November, organizers have said, "to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather." The event grew in 2000 to 140 participants, 21 of whom completed the challenge.

In 2001, 5,000 participants signed up and it became clear to the founders that what had begun as a writing exercise among friends was well on its way to being a national event. Rules were instigated, including disqualifying any previous works or co-authored book. The novel had to be turned in by midnight on the last day of the month; those who qualified were rewarded with their name posted on the list of honor, accented by a gold star.

The fundamentals of NaNoWriMo has less to do with great writing or plot than it does the sense of accomplishment of finishing. No one checks or critiques your work; you are encouraged to let go and just write without endless tweaking and obsessive editing.

In 2006, NaNoWriMo expanded to include the Young Writer's Program geared towards authors 12 and under. Teachers can access the online forum and get a month's worth of writing-related lessons and curriculum ideas for different age groups. Classes are sent incentive prizes and a novelling progress chart for the classroom. The goal is still 50,000 words in a month, but for this program, breaking it up among the students is allowed. The Young Writer's Program quickly grew from 4,000 to 15,000 authors. Various universities are also beginning to show interest in the writing curriculums offered.

Today NaNoWriMo is a booming non-profit organization and the numbers of authors willing to write a novel in a month is still increasing. To date, 13 NaNoWriMo authors, or "wrimos," as they call themselves, have been able to get book deals for their novels.

Forums give authors a place to get advice, commiserate and gain a sense of community about the project. Participants are varied, from struggling authors to housewives to Indian monks. Paypal accounts accept donations and the sale of T-shirts brought in additional funds. Many of these funds make their way to fund various reading programs and libraries.