NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo) is a creative writing project in which participants attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. The official event is held every November. Despite the name, the project is now international in scope. 101,767 writers participated in 2007, yielding 15,335 reported winners. Participants wrote 1,187,931,929 words in 2007, according to the project's website.

History

Chris Baty started the project in July 1999 with 21 participants in the San Francisco Bay area. Since then, the event has been held in November "to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather."cite web|url=http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/history|title= History - National Novel Writing Month |author=Chris Baty] 2000 was the first year NaNoWriMo had a website; participants joined a Yahoo! club in the absence of official forums. It was also the year that many of NaNoWriMo's ground rules were laid out, such as disallowing works in progress or co-authored books. 140 participants attempted the challenge, and 21 wrote 50,000 words.

In 2001, Chris Baty expected 150 participants; 5000 signed up. At that point, sign-ups were not automated, so Baty and a small team of volunteers spent the end of October and early November registering the massive backlog of participants by hand. Other troubles included a hacking of the site and massive bandwidth use, forcing Baty to postpone the addition of official wordcount verification. [citeweb|url=http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/it_was_a_dark_and_stormy_month___/Content?oid=283015 |title=East Bay Express - News - It was a dark and stormy month... |author=Kara Platoni |date=2001-12-19] 700 writers crossed the finish line that year.

2002 saw massive technical improvements and increased automation to the site, as well as what Baty described as "laugh-so-we-don’t-cry t-shirt misadventures." Media attention from National Public Radio and CBS Evening News drew increased attention and a participant count of 14,000. The next year, the NaNoWriMo team began the Municipal Liaison program and sent out the first set of pep talk emails. Baty also began work on "No Plot? No Problem!" during the 2003 NaNoWriMo, writing the NaNoWriMo guide concurrent with his own fiction novel.

The site continues to grow every year; 2004 was marked by a new site layout, entirely new code, book-styled Flash profile pages, and 42,000 participants. In 2005, 59,703 people participated and 9,765 were declared winners. New features to the site included the Young Writer's Program and the official Podcast. 2006 included more participants, more publicity from the likes of BoingBoing.net and Yahoo [citeweb|url=http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=89 |title=News ] , and additional features such as a WriMo comic and a sponsorship program.

In 2007, 101,767 people registered -- the most ever to participate. This year also brought the first fundraising event -- "A Night Of Writing Dangerously". All participants, or "WriMos", who donated $200 or more to the cause received an invitation to a 6-hour event in San Francisco featuring free food and fun, prizes, and much more. Weekly email pep talks from well-known authors were also new for 2007.

Rules

Participants' novels can be on any theme and in any genre, and in any language. Everything from fanfiction, which uses trademarked characters, to novels in poem format, and even metafiction is allowed; according to the website's FAQ, "If you believe you're writing a novel, we believe you're writing a novel too." [citeweb|url=http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/402678 |title=National Novel Writing Month FAQ] Starting at midnight November 1, novels must be completed before 11:59:59 PM on 30 November, local time. Advance planning and extensive notes are permitted, but no earlier written material can go into the body of the novel, nor is one allowed to start and then finish early.

Participants write either a complete novel of fifty thousand words, or simply the first fifty thousand words of a novel to be completed later. [ [http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/402737 NaNoWriMo FAQ] ] While 50,000 words is a relatively low word count for a complete novel, it is still significantly more than the 40,000 word mark that distinguishes a novel from a novella. Notable novels of roughly fifty thousand words include "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", "Brave New World", and "The Great Gatsby". Some participants set higher goals for themselves, like writing upwards of 100,000 words, or completing two or more separate novels.

No prizes are awarded for length, quality, or speed. Anyone who reaches the 50,000 word mark is declared a winner. Beginning 25 November, participants can submit their novel to be automatically verified for length and receive a printable certificate, an icon they can display on the web, and inclusion on the list of winners. No precautions are taken to prevent cheating; since the only significant reward for winning is the finished novel itself and the satisfaction of having written it, there is little incentive to cheat. Novels are verified for word count by software, and may be scrambled or otherwise encrypted before being submitted for verification, although the software does not keep any other record of text input. It is possible to win without anyone (other than the author) ever seeing or reading the novel.

To win NaNoWriMo, participants must write an average of 1,666⅔ words per day. Organizers of the event say that the aim is simply to get people to start writing, using the deadline as an incentive to get the story going and to put words to paper. [citeweb|url=http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/basics |title=National Novel Writing Month FAQ] This "quantity over quality" philosophy is summarized by the site's slogan: No Plot? No Problem! [citeweb|url=http://www.chroniclebooks.com/site/catalog/index.php?main_page=pubs_product_book_info&products_id=4409&store=book |title=Chronicle Books - No Plot? No Problem!] This is also the title of Chris Baty's book of advice for NaNoWriMo participants, published in late 2004 by Chronicle Books. There is no fee to participate in NaNoWriMo; registration is only required for novel verification.

Community

The official forums provide a place for advice, information, criticism, support and an opportunity for "collective procrastination." [citeweb|url=http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/forum |title= National Novel Writing Month Forums] The forums are available from the beginning of October, when signups for the year begin, until late September, when they are archived and the database is wiped in preparation for the next year. There is also an official IRC channel, #NaNoWriMo, found on the [http://www.goodchatting.com/ GoodChatting] server, where participants can talk in real time, socialize, brainstorm, or participate in Word Wars, which are friendly competitions where participants write as many words as possible within a short specified period of time, usually from five to twenty minutes.

Most regions have one or more Municipal Liaisons (ML) assigned to them, who are volunteers that help with organizing local events. MLs are encouraged to coordinate at least two kinds of meet-ups; a kickoff party, and a "Thank God It's Over" party to celebrate successes and share novels. Kickoff parties are often held the weekend before November to give local writers a chance to meet and get geared up, although some are held on Halloween night past midnight so writers start writing in a community setting. Other events may be scheduled, including weekend meet-ups or overnight write-ins. [citeweb|url=http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/community |title=National Novel Writing Month - The Community]

Programs

In 2005, NaNoWriMo started the Young Writers Program, primarily aimed at classrooms of kindergarten through 12th-grade students, although homeschooled students are also welcomed. In its inaugural year, the program was used in 150 classrooms and involved 4000 students. Teachers register their classroom for participation and are sent a starter kit of materials to use in the class which includes reward items like stickers and pencils. Lesson plans and writing ideas are also offered as resources to teachers, while students can communicate through the program's forums. [citeweb|url=http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/|title=NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program]

In September 2006, NaNoWriMo officially became a 501(c)(3) non-profit under the name "The Office of Letters and Light". All contributions are tax-deductible under U.S. law. Donations can be made directly, or users can purchase items such as T-shirts and mugs from the NaNoWriMo store. In 2004, NaNoWriMo partnered with child literacy non-profit Room to Read, and continued that partnership for three years. Fifty percent of net proceeds from 2004 to 2006 were used to build libraries in Southeast Asia; three were built in Cambodia, seven in Laos, and seven in Vietnam. The program was retired in 2007 to refocus resources on NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program. [citeweb|url=http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/librariesinseasia|title=Libraries in Southeast Asia]

NaNoWriMo runs a Laptop Loaner program for those who do not have regular access to a computer or word processor. Old, yet functional laptops are donated from NaNoWriMo participants. Those wishing to borrow a laptop are required to cover the cost of shipping it back and must send a $300 deposit along with proof of identity, but are not charged a fee for using the laptops. In 2006, AlphaSmart, Inc. donated 25 brand-new Neos to expand the Laptop Loaner library with the promise of 25 more over the next two years. [citeweb|url=http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/alphasmartloaners|title=AlphaSmart Loaners]

See also

* List of timed artistic contests
* Script Frenzy

References

External links

* [http://www.nanowrimo.org NaNoWriMo Official Site]
* [http://writerunboxed.com/2007/10/19/interview-nanos-chris-baty-part-1/ (2007) Three-Part, In-Depth Interview with founder Chris Baty at Writer Unboxed]
* [http://www.pastthepages.ca/071031/feature.html (2007) Interview with Chris Baty at The Lance]