NaNoWriMo – as fun to say as it is to do! 

For more than 20 years, aspiring and established writers have competed – against themselves and against the clock – to write a 50,000-word novel draft during the month of November.  

Deciding to write a book can be impossibly daunting. What if it’s filled with plot holes? Are the characters likable? Do you know how to pull off that third-act twist? The point of NaNoWriMo is to reduce all of those worries down to a single goal: write 50,000 words before midnight on the last day of November. If it doesn’t make sense, some of the sentences are clunky, or the characters need to be fleshed out further, all of that can be handled in the second draft. For the duration of November, your only goal is to get words on paper (or, ok, on the screen).  

There are tens of thousands of amateur authors of all ages who participate in the contest each year, whether for fun, a challenge, or to strengthen their writing muscles. But the simple act of building your writing stamina – and letting go of worries about perfection – has proven to be immensely valuable to aspiring and published authors as well.  

In the more than 20 years that it has been running, hundreds and hundreds of novels have been published – by both traditional and indie presses – that started their lives as NaNoWriMo projects. Famous examples include Hugh Howey’s Wool omnibus, Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, Erin Morganstern’s The Night Circus, and Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  

Another proponent for the benefits of participating is Travis Baldree, winner of this year’s Astounding Award for Best New Writer. His cozy fantasy novel Legends & Lattes was a 2021 NaNoWriMo book – and a runner-up for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Novel.  

Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it. In addition to tons of writing tips and community resources, the NaNoWriMo site offers years’ worth of inspiration and advice from authors like Charlaine Harris, Neil Gaiman, Emily X. R. Pan, John Green, and many, many more. 

Whether you’re hoping for a publishing deal or just love a good challenge, NaNoWriMo offers an excellent opportunity to push yourself to do the hardest part: stop procrastinating and start writing.