NaNoWriMo, Or: That Contest I've Never Won Despite Participating for Over Ten Years . . .

That's true. Sad! But very true. Even so, it's definitely been time well spent. "But Kiana," you may say, "How is that not the very definition of wasted time?" Fair. I've not actually had anything that I would deem as publishable or perhaps even useful come out of one of those seasons, yet the experience and improvement and resources that result from it? Totally worth it!

Now you're probably wondering: What is NaNoWriMo exactly?

Well, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. Originally, NaNo was a contest celebrating November and writing and novels (obviously) in America. It was a challenge to authors across the country to join in and try to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Yeah. You read that right. I was fourteen or fifteen when I started participating, so over time I've gotten to track and enjoy the changes of the contest/organization. Now, NaNoWriMo has participants all over the world, or various ages, and even has a wide range of book/writing genres included. They even have expanded to more than just the month of November. Now, they offer camps and challenges during just about any month with just thirty days.

And it really is more than just the writing.

As an organization, NaNoWriMo offers insights and resources year round. They have brainstorming ideas, writing tips, editing resources, publishing info, and so much more for writers at any stage and in any genre. They also invite past winners, authors, editors, publishers - professionals from across the board! - to mentor, give talks, and otherwise get involved. There are also things available to teachers who want to use NaNo as a learning opportunity for their students.

So, while it's true that I have only kinda sorta finished once, I have gotten so much from my attempts at NaNoWriMo. And I participate at least once in a calendar year (usually more), because it's more than just a good opportunity . . . It's also just crazy fun! And a good excuse to spend close to twelve hours staked out in an iHop with your buddies while you all wear pajamas and order waaaaay too much food and pull an all-nighter. (Ya know: Goals.) All of this to say that I hope you give it a try sometime! My name on their website is Ink_Lin (And I know what it says on my profile, but I've been on there longer than seven years. I . . . just forgot my original profile information around then and had to make a new account. We don't talk about it.), and you should add me as a buddy when you join! Hope to see you there this November!