National Novel Writing Month
| Name: | National Novel Writing Month |
| Date(s): | 1999-present |
| Profit/Nonprofit: | Non-profit |
| Country based in: | US/International |
| Focus: | Creative writing and literacy |
| External Links: | http://nanowrimo.org |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an annual online challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Many writers set their own word goals above and beyond the base 50,000 word challenge. Other writers engage in friendly competitions to see who can write the most words in the shortest time, with some people reaching 50,000 within the first 24 hours.
During the month, writers are encouraged to attend local Write-In meet-ups, where they can discuss their writing and the unique difficulties of the challenge, as well as get to know other local writers and (usually) consume enormous amounts of coffee. Word Wars, where everyone tries to write as much as they can within a short time limit, are a standard feature of Write-Ins, designed to help writers get over blocks and meet their daily word goals.
The challenge was first run in 1999, and has since expanded to include local writing groups all over the world. Writers who sign up at the official website can "win" by submitting their novel before the deadline to have its word count verified. The challenge is not purely fannish, but many fanfiction writers participate, and there is no distinction made between fanfic and Original Fiction when it comes to winning the challenge.
National Novel Writing Month is a registered non-profit organization which also runs a Young Writers program and Camp NaNoWriMo for those who have more time to write in the summer.
2023 Controversy
In 2023, multiple conflicts with moderators and accusations of extreme misconduct resulted in the Board shutting down the forums early in November; they remained shut for the rest of the NaNoWriMo event. [TODO: link to accusations?]
Further Reading/Meta
- Paycheck or Passion: What Makes a Creative Effort Worthwhile?, Archived version by Keirdra for The Learned Fangirl (November 2010)