The month of November is often known for its holiday cheer; Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and Christmas just beyond that. But there’s another celebration that goes on throughout the month of November, and you may not have even heard of it.

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it’s often abbreviated, is a contest held every November. Participants sign up through the NaNoWriMo website, with the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel and finishing by the end of November. This amounts to about 1,667 words per day.

How Did NaNoWriMo start?

NaNoWriMo started back in 1999 in San Francisco with just 21 participants. As the years went on, the event grew bigger and bigger, building a website in 2000. By 2001, there were more than 5,000 writers working together.

Nowadays, the contest attracts more than 310,000 people worldwide, writing a total of more than 1.8 billion words. The contest continues to grow, each year with more writers, and each year with more words written.

Buckle down and write that book

“The best way to get your book done during NaNoWriMo is to make use of whatever time you have, even the little bits in-between,” said sophomore Sarah Merlenbach, who is the vice president of Drury’s creative writing club, Ink’d.

Photo via unsplash.com.

“Besides that, if you can find a consistent time to write each day, that also helps you finish,” continued Merlenbach. “At the end of the day, NaNoWriMo is about getting yourself into a writing routine.”

Support for NaNo, online and in person

NaNoWriMo isn’t restricted to just their website. The group has a strong presence on other online platforms, such as Instagram, Reddit and Facebook. There are even “write-ins” set up by local groups. Participants will often organize a time to meet together at a public space, like a coffee shop, to write and discuss their work.

“Sometimes chapters will even host competitions to see who can get the most words written in the time that everyone is together,” said Merlenbach. “The write-ins help so that you don’t get distracted by other things while you’re trying to write.”

Despite the stress of the contest’s challenge, it doesn’t mean that you have to go into the challenge alone. In fact, finding friends to work with is even encouraged!

“Even though everyone is doing their own project, having somebody do NaNoWriMo with you can help you to hold yourself accountable for your word count each day,” explained Merlenbach. “Besides that, your writing buddies will encourage you whenever you go into a writing slump.”

If you think you’ve got what it takes to finish the challenge, check out the NaNoWriMo website. And if you’re looking for support with your work, check out Ink’d who meets upstairs in the Olin Library at 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

Written by Ryan Smith.