NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a creative writing project originating in the United States in which each participant attempts to write a 50,000 word novel in a single month. Despite the name, the project is now international in scope. 101,767 writers participated in 2007, with 15,335 reported winners, for a cumulative word total of 1,187,931,929 words, as stated on the home page of the web site.
Contents |
History
The project was started by Chris Baty 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." [1]2000 was the first year NaNoWriMo had a website; instead of a message board, the group had a Yahoo! club. It was also the first year many of the ground rules for NaNoWriMo were laid out, such as disallowing previously started works or co-authored books. 140 participants signed up for participation and 21 completed 50,000 words. In 2001, Chris Baty stated that he expected 150 participants; 5000 signed up.[2] At that point in time, sign-ups were not automated, so the end of October and the beginning of November were spent with Baty and a small team of volunteers signing the massive backlog up by hand. Other troubles included a hacking of the site and massive bandwidth use forcing Baty to turn down the idea of official wordcount verifications.[3] 700 writers crossed the finish line that year. 2002 saw massive technical improvements and automation to the site, as well as what Baty described as "laugh-so-we-don’t-cry t-shirt misadventures."[4] Media attention from the National Public Radio and CBS Evening News brought the participation count to 14,000. The next year saw the start of the Municipal Liaison program and the first set of pep talk emails. Baty also began work on "No Plot? No Problem!" during the 2003 NaNoWriMo, writing concurrently on it and his own fiction novel. From there, the site has continued to grow every year; 2004 was marked by a new site layout, entirely new code, the book-styled Flash profile pages, and 42,000 participants. In 2005, 59,703 people participated and 9,765 were declared winners, and new features to the site included the Young Writer's Program and an official Podcast. 2006 included more participants, more publicity from the likes of BoingBoing.net and Yahoo[5], and additional features such as a WriMo comic, a podcast and a sponsorship program. In 2007, 101,767 people signed up - the most ever to participate. This year also brought with it the first fundraising event - "A Night Of Writing Dangerously". All NaNoers or "WriMo's" who donate $200 or more get an invitation to a 6-hour event in San Francisco featuring free food and other goodies, prizes, and much more. Weekly email pep talks from well-known authors are also new in 2007.
Rules
Participants' novels can be on any theme and in any genre, and are allowed in languages other than English. Everything from fanfiction, using trademarked characters, to novels in poem format and metafiction is allowed; in the words of the website's FAQ, "If you believe you're writing a novel, we believe you're writing a novel too."[6] Novels must be completed before 11:59:59 PM on 30 November, local time. Advance planning and notes are permissible, but no earlier written material can go into the body of the novels, nor is it allowed to start early and finish correspondingly early. Participants either write a complete novel of fifty thousand words or simply write the first fifty thousand words of a novel which may require more text to complete. While fifty thousand words is a relatively low word count for a novel, it is still significantly more than the 40,000 word mark that separates 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 may set higher goals for themselves, like writing 100,000 words or completing two or more separate novels. For instance, certain authors, including Caeraerie[7] and Kateness[8], wrote over 500,000 words in the 2007 Nanowrimo. No prizes are awarded for length, quality, or speed. Anyone who successfully 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 to be verified are "read" by software, and they may be scrambled (have letters randomly substituted for other letters) before being submitted for verification, so it is possible to win without anyone (other than the author) ever seeing or reading the novel. To "win" NaNoWriMo, participants need to write an average of 1,666 and 2/3 words per day (typically rounded up to 1667). 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 put words to paper. [9] This "quantity over quality" philosophy is summarized by the site's slogan: No Plot? No Problem![10] 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 related forums provide advice, information, criticism, support, and an opportunity for "collective procrastination."[11] The forums are available from the beginning of October, when signups for that year start, until late September, where they are archived and wiped in preparation for the next year. There is also an official IRC channel, #NaNoWriMo, found on the GoodChatting[12]server, where participants can talk, socialize, brainstorm, or participate in Word Wars, which is a timed friendly competition usually between five and twenty minutes where participants try to write as many words in that span of time as they can. Most regions of the world have one or more Municipal Liaisons (ML) assigned to them; these are volunteers who offer to help with organizing events. ML's 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 to allow writers to start writing in a community setting. Other events may be scheduled, such as weekend meet-ups or overnight write-ins.[13]
Programs
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 children's literacy non-profit Room to Read and continued with that partnership for three years. 50% of net proceeds from 2004 and 2005 were used to build libraries in Southeast Asia; three were built in Cambodia and seven more were built in Laos. $14,000 was raised in 2005 to help with this project. In 2006, funds will be directed to building children's libraries in Vietnam. [14] NaNoWriMo also runs a Laptop Loaner program for those who do not have regular access to a computer or word processor. All their 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 but are not charged a fee for using the laptops. In 2006, AlphaSmart, Inc. donated 25 brand-new Neos to expand Laptop Loaner library with the promise of 25 more over the next two years. [15] In 2005, NaNoWriMo started up a Young Writer's Program primarily aimed at classrooms of kindergarten through 12th grade students, although homeschooled individuals and groups are also welcomed. In its inaugural year, the program was used in 150 classrooms and involved 4000 students. Teachers can sign up 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 participate in the forums. [16]
Spinoffs
In June 2007, The Office of Letters and Light sponsored a month long event dedicated to the writing of work for the screen or stage called Script Frenzy. Similar projects based on the same concept include NaNoWriYe (allowing a year to write a novel), JanNoWriMo (moving the month to January), and NaNoMang-O (creation of a manga rather than a novel).
