NaNoWriMo 2006 Is Off And Running

Posted on November 2, 2006

National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo has begun. This is the eighth year of the competition, which pits writers against the clock. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30th. Writers can outline and make character sketches beforehand, but the actual writing didn't start until November 1st.

From now until the end of the month, registered writers are working like mad on a new novel. They then upload their work to the NaNoWriMo site and have their word count verified. Those who meet the deadline are added to the site's Winner's Page, receive a winner's certificate and web icon.

It's a great event that really helps focus one's mind on the task at hand. The NaNoWriMo site itself has plenty of fun distractions for procrastinators, including a daily writing comic every weekday by Debbie Ohi and message boards where you can read about other writers' trials and tribulations.