What is NaNoWriMo? For the uninitiated, this acronym is short for National Novel Writing Month, and it has taken place every November since its inception in 1999. The idea is to crank out 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30—which works out to be 1667 words per day. Every day. On a novel, specifically a new novel.

Why would any sane person take part in such a venture? (I have asked myself that very question, usually at five in the morning as I rub the sleep out of my eyes and stare at the glowing computer screen…)

First and foremost, it’s FUN! Really! Put that infernal internal editor on the back burner and let your creative side take over! When you write that fast and that consistently, you don’t have time to agonize over word choices or plot points. True, a lot of what you might write is drivel, but I can guarantee you that there will be a wealth of gold and gems in what you produce. (More than you think.) The best part is that you actually end up with words that can be edited—as opposed to a blank computer screen with a blinking cursor and anxiety because you haven’t produced anything.  :-/

Writing is a solitary activity; therefore, perhaps the most important element of NaNo is community. There are lots of forums on the site itself, and many groups, such as CWG, create their own small communities for the month. There’s a move afoot on the CWG Yahoo group and the Facebook group to get one going. (CWG members, contact Ann Lewis or Karina Fabian if you haven’t been invited to these groups yet.)

Even more fun, many regional groups have sprung up and organize “write-ins.” Can you imagine how much fun is it to go to a sponsoring coffee shop and be part of twenty or fifty folks tapping away at their computers on a blustery November evening?!! There are kick-off parties before NaNo begins, and celebration parties after it ends. If you follow the official rules and win, you get a cool NaNo icon to put on your website. And you get a “participant” icon just for making the effort.

One of the byproducts of the discipline of NaNo is confidence. You discover it is possible to crank out lots of words—and you discover that your creative side wants to come out and play. Like any talent, the more you use and hone it, the stronger it becomes. Lauren Sapala has written a great blog on the benefits of NaNoWriMo.

Think about it. This time next month, you could be nearing the middle or end of your novel! I will admit that I’ve never completed the 50k goal—but I’ve hit more than 20k. Without the challenge, I would have written maybe 5k words for the month. Whether you “win” or not, it’s worth a try.

Will you? If you’ve never tried it before, why not? Do you think you might try this year? If you’ve done NaNo before, share your experience—the good, the bad, and the ugly!