National Novel Writing Month - 50 000 words in 30 days

You must be mad! There is a particular facial expression that people reserve for people like me on occasions like this. It is a blend of curiosity and fear. A cautious smile with an interested nod. They suspect I must be insane.

When I tell people what I do during November, they raise an eyebrow or two and face an interesting dilemma. Should they run away now, or wait to find out more about this crazy venture? Most people bravely stick around. I suspect they secretly want to join in.

I’m talking about National Novel Writing Month – or Nanowrimo for short. The concept is simple: write a novel in a month. In practical terms, this means writing 50 000 words in 30 days, which is 1667 words per day. A challenging target but that’s the point.

Nanowrimo founder, Chris Baty, insists that it is all about quantity, not quality. There is no time to be self-critical. With their inner-editor temporarily silenced, participants can write with abandon. Indeed, they must write with abandon if they are to reach their target. Participants need tenacity, determination and a very understanding family. It is not an easy month.

On the Nanowrimo website, you can register for the challenge, record your progress and chat to other participants. Over 100 000 people have signed up for this, the tenth year of Nanowrimo. It is a record number of participants.

You may wonder whether the world really needs 100 000 hastily written new novels. There is no need to worry. Nanowrimo is not for the world but for the individual. Participation is about giving yourself the freedom to write. The 50 000 words written in November do not form a publishable manuscript. Rather, they prove something about your ability to write a novel and that’s what matters.

Nanowrimo is adrenalin-powered self-indulgence. In November, 100 000 people are stepping back from their normal life and devoting themselves to creativity. There are a lot of words to be written. That means a lot of housework to be left undone and a lot of partners to be neglected. But it’s all in a good cause.

This weekend is the half-way point. By now, characters have been established, plots are emerging and each participant should have produced roughly 25 000 words. There are feelings of exhilaration and excitement that come from being immersed in a creative venture. At this point, there are also feelings of sleep deprivation.

Nanowrimo participants must be strong. Ignoring disapproving looks from their children, they must serve up another ready-meal and shun the washing-up in order to continue their quest. And so it is, throughout November, as word-counts rise.

Eventually, winners’ banners begin to appear on the Nanowrimo website. A winner is anyone who completes 50 000 words before midnight on November 30th. There is no prize, other than the euphoria of success. Never the less, the winner’s banner is a coveted accolade.

December can seem frighteningly empty after the heady chaos of November. If November is Nanowrimo, then December is Nanoremo: National Normality Returns Month. Some careful rehabilitation might be needed for participants to rejoin life as they used to know it. After all, it has been some time since they had any quality interaction with their family or took the time to eat a decent meal. Gradually, participants can return to normal. Although, knowing that they are now the author of an entire novel (albeit one that needs some serious editing) will life ever really be the same?