What is NaNoWriMo?

Every year, writers around the world dedicate the month of November to writing a first draft of their novel. National novel writing month—abbreviated to NaNoWriMo—is a phenomenon of the creative writing world, particularly on social media.

Writers of all genres use this month to make headway on their books, so if you’re writing a memoir, short story collection, essay collection, or even children’s books and poetry novels, feel free to participate!

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Tips for success

• Write what you love! Your chances of meeting your word count goal increase when you choose to write a story you're excited about.

• Do some outlining! Even if you’re a pantser, you may want to do a little planning before you start a NaNoWriMo project, as minimal outlining can save you loads of time.

• Plan ahead! The month of November has holidays. If you know you won’t be able to write during those days, plan accordingly, as you will have to write more NaNoWriMo words per day.

• Ignore your inner critic! Yeah, that little voice in your head telling you “this sucks,” “that makes no sense,” “your characters are flat,” “your story is boring,” ignore it! Focus on putting one word in front of the other without judging your work, and if you find your self-criticism keeps interrupting your train of thought, find ways to stay inspired.

• Enjoy the process! I know, I know, cheesy advice. But it's true. This challenge is meant to be fun and help kick-start a story a writer may have put off for whatever reason. Count each day you write as a success, get together with friends for writing sprints, and revel in your creative juices.