Nanowrimo: The Perfect Tool for Aspiring Writers

So now that November has officially started, I would like to introduce NaNoWriMo to those who haven't heard of it. It's a fun project that only happens in the month of November, so I wanted to share with others the chance of joining the challenge. I would like to make a disclaimer before starting the article: This article is my own personal opinion and no one has paid me to make the article about the organization NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that is a huge advocate in writing fluency and education. The term NaNoWriMo is abbreviated from the phrase 'National Novel Writing Month'. Since it's the establishment of November being NaNoWriMo in 1999, many have been participating as of the recent years. What is the goal for November? To write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. Although it sounds overwhelming to some, aspiring authors should take the opportunity for the event that occurs annually. Although they are nonprofit they take donations. These donations are for the organization to create summer camps for kids to learn to have a creative outlet through writing.

For those interested in creative writing, NaNoWriMo is a great way to develop your skills in becoming a better writer. Others will say that it will help find a voice in creative writing. It does not matter whether you are a beginner or professional in writing, the point of the challenge is to write. Supporting someone to continue writing will help them improve and encourage them to seek a career in the literary world.

It is also great for people who lose motivation when writing a novel. Many people have an incredible idea for a story, but lose steam halfway through writing because they have no motivation. Because there is a set goal, people will sometimes feel obligated to finish their novel because of the goal they wish to accomplish. There is also a community of other aspiring authors where people can talk to and feel motivated to continue their novel. There is a section on the website that shows writers near your area to help give motivation to each other.

A great perk to NaNoWriMo is that it is free to join and participate in. They are a nonprofit organization and only do this to support those who wish to improve in their writing. It is a kind effort that the organization is working to do. Although this article is posted a couple days after November has started, there is still a lot of time left to join the challenge.

When you first sign up with NaNoWriMo, you will be directed to your homepage where you will see many different sections. I went ahead and created a new account to show you what it would look when you first sign up on the website.

You will be given the option to start your project rights away by just pressing the button called 'Announce a new project!'. When you press it, you will fill out basic information over the project such as the name, the genre, the premise of the story. Once you're done, you can begin working on your project. However, NaNoWriMo does not allow you to directly write on the website, so you will have to use Word or Google docs to type your project.

NaNoWriMo works as a progress bar to help you see how far you are from the goal of 50,000 words before November ends. Each day after you finish writing a portion of your project, you press the plus button on the top of your page. When you press on it, you will have a popup asking you to type the number of words you have written.

For each day you continue writing, you will be rewarded with badges for not breaking a streak of working on your projects. This might intrigue people who play video games since there are always achievements to be found in a game. There are other badges awarded as well for reaching a certain number of words on your project. That is a fun perk for those who enjoy getting achievements in projects.

If you feel that writing 50,000 words before the end of November is a little too much too handle, there is the option to work with a buddy. If you and a friend are working on a project together, it is perfect to keep progress on the novel, memoir, etc that you are trying to complete. It also ensures that you will get a lot done faster rather than working on your own. That is another perk of joining NaNoWriMo. You can begin alone or with a partner but the main point is that you start and finish.

To those wondering if joining the NaNoWriMo challenge is a good idea, I personally believe that it is. Although you may not be looking for a career in writing or if you don't feel that you are capable to do it, just make an effort to do it. It's a fun little challenge for the month of November and it will help improve your writing skills. There is no harm in developing your own writing style as well as voice. It is also free to join and there is a community of other writers to talk to. If anything, you will find new friends to talk to as well as be encouraged to create in your form of writing.