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Everybody wants to write a book. At one point or another, everybody starts writing his or her very first novel. But it takes a lot to actually finish it. You need support, you need a deadline and most of all, you need to know, deep inside that you can start and (what's more important) finish a novel.

NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, offers you all that.

NaNoWriMo is an annual online event. Every year since 1999, November become the month when all over the world, people are writing their novels.

Rules are simple. Every year come October, you sign up with the site. And On November 1st you start writing your novel. The goal is to reach the magical number of 50 000 words by November 30th. As the site claims, it's not as scary as it sounds.
Because once you decide you want to take part in this novel writing insanity, the site provides you with every support you might need.

The NaNoWriMo forums are full of other writers just like you. And, I'm speaking from my own experience here, they are ready to support you, hold your hand while you write through the problematic plot points and most importantly, they are ready to answer every single question you might have.

Because of the specific approach NaNoWriMo contestants have, if you ask how is it possible so many people manage to write their own novel every year, they will tell you that they don't edit their text as they go. Instead, they write whatever it is their muse throws at them, however silly or ungrammatical it may sound.

But that doesn't mean every single novel completed during NaNoWriMo is bad and shouldn't be read under any circumstances. In fact many of the NaNoWriMo writers actually managed to publish their NaNo novels, including NaNoWriMo founder and director, Chris Baty (whose book "No Plot? No Problem!" is a result of his own NaNo struggles and is the textbook for all those writers who want to win the challenge but don't know how).

One of the things you should know about NaNoWriMo is that they only wants you to reach 50 000 words by the end of November. Nobody expects those 50 000 words to be an actual, well-written novel. As many people, who themselves won the NaNoWriMo challenge, will tell you, November is the month to write your novel. December is the month when you edit it.

It is worth pointing out that NaNoWriMo isn't just about writing a novel, though it is the main goal of the event. But NaNoWriMo has also many other Programs, including the Young Writers Program for children at the age of 12 or younger.
Not only that, every year NaNoWriMo is raising money for their "Libraries in Southeast Asia" Program. They already helped to set up libraries in countries like Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

So if you're tempted, I recommend you to visit NaNoWriMo official site www.nanowrimo.org where you can learn much more and where all other questions you might have will be answered. And I see you in November.

Learn more about this author, Jane Rutherford.
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