National Novel Writing Month, more commonly known as NaNoWriMo, is a month-long attempt made by thousands of people to write a novel. It takes place every November.

    The goal of NaNoWriMo is to encourage people to write a 50,000 word novel within the span of 30 days. In 2008, it had over 120,000 participants, according to http://www.nanowrimo.org.

    “NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved,” the website stated.

    The challenge was started in 1999, when the founder, Chris Baty, invited a few of his friends to write a novel during the month of July. When Baty started the NaNoWriMo website, the challenge began receiving attention from the press, and the number of participants expanded exponentially each year.

    “[NaNoWriMo] is a really good way to get a novel actually finished. It gives you permission to write badly, so all the pressure is off,” said Lauryl Fischer, sophomore and NaNoWriMo participant.

    Several other programs have stemmed out from NaNoWriMo, including Script Frenzy, which is an approach to writing scripts in the same style as NaNoWriMo. Youth programs have also been formed as a result of these programs.

    The NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program, a sister program of NaNoWriMo, is aimed toward children and young teens. It allows participants to set their own word count goals.

Novels written for NaNoWriMo can be in any style or genre. The idea behind the program is quantity over quality, as well as simply encouraging people to start writing.

    “It can be really stressful, especially when you get behind and realize you have so many words to type. It's also hard to balance NaNoWriMo with work and school and extracurricular activities. That’s when you need discipline,” said Fischer.

    A sense of community is a large factor in NaNoWriMo. Participants gather in the forums on the website to discuss tips and tricks for writing and to compare stories. NaNoWriMo also hosts “write-a-thons” in certain areas for people to congregate and write.

    “It's really much more fun if you have friends to do it with you. If you do, you can have word count contests. You write as many words as you can in a designated time, and try to beat your friends,” said Fischer.

    NaNoWriMo’s website is the center of the challenge. It contains a word counter, blogs and plenty of tips for writing and even procrastinating. Participants must sign up through the website in order to enter the competition.

    “I get to see the progress of my characters during NaNoWriMo and I can be proud of that,” Fischer said.

    NaNoWriMo is free to enter, and there are no tangible prizes. Winning simply requires writing 50,000 words of fiction, which is roughly equivalent to 175 pages, during November. Each novel must have only one author.

    “The real prize in NaNoWriMo is the manuscript itself, and the exhilarating feeling of setting an ambitious creative goal and nailing it,” the website stated.