NaNoWriMo

Do you NaNoWriMo? I never have. But a lot of people do. In 1999, 21 people did. In 2005, the number was up to 59,000. By the end of this month, it’s estimated that number will have risen to 93,000, over half of whom are from the United States. What is NaNoWriMo? It’s the nickname for National Novel Writing Month. Those who register and participate call themselves WriMos. And what are they signing up to do? Write 50,000 words in 30 days. In other words, finish a 175 page book, be it a gem or rubbish, doesn’t matter.

You could still register. It might be difficult to finish by November 30, though. Or you could do your own challenge in December or any month of the year. Sort of a training exercise to get ready to enter next year’s NaNoWriMo. Start working on your discipline to make yourself write about 2,000 words per day, no excuses. You might also work on your karaoke since some cities are planning Thank God It’s Over parties.

An interesting article on the phenomenon of NaNoWriMo can be found in the Washington Post online.

You can also go to the National Writing Month site to see a second-by-second countdown of the time remaining on the 2006 NaNoWriMo. You can also find out what BUYND is and how you can hook up to WrimoRadio.

You better watch out. This seems to be sweeping the nation, with WriMos multiplying each year. Dan Zak with the Washington Post estimates if the “growth rate is constant and participation is cumulative, then every American will be writing a novel in November 2027. We'll be a country made entirely of boozing, tortured authors.”

Aren’t we already?