50,000 words for NaNoWriMo!

Perhaps you’ve seen the flyers around Seidlin, or maybe you have a friend doing it, or possibly, you have absolutely no idea what I am writing about—but it is almost that time of the year again. I don’t mean Christmas or New Year's or anything like that. No, I am talking about the most fabulous time of the year: November. Yes, it might snow. Yes, it’ll probably be cold. And yes, you’re probably going to be bogged down in exams, essays, and all sorts of projects, but it is the best time of the year! And why is that, you might ask? Because it is National Novel Writing Month. Now, I know some of you are making faces or scoffing at my obvious excitement over this, but indulge me for a moment in reveling in the idea of attempting to write a novel in a month.

National Novel Writing Month, or as it is more affectionately known by those who participate in it, NaNoWriMo, is the month during which the portion of the population that has always wished to write a novel tries to do so. The goal is to write 50,000 words in a month, and to give you an idea of how long that is, my NaNo last year (which was just over 50,000 words) was 93 pages single-spaced, Times New Roman font size 11. Now, cram that word count into 30 days and you have what NaNo is all about. It isn’t about good writing, though some might come out of it—it’s about forcing yourself to stop editing, to stop worrying, and to just write. A crazy concept, I know.

Last year a group of us on campus attempted (and succeeded at) the NaNo challenge. So, I am throwing the gauntlet down to anyone who has ever thought of writing a novel. Join us! We drink too much coffee, think far too much about our characters, and stay up late more often than usual. It is a great way to spend November, and who knows? You might just get a novel--or something that resembles one--out of it.

Want to at least give NaNo a shot? Oct. 31, starting at 11:30 in the Honors House (8 Park St.), there will be a kick-off to November. Once it hits midnight, everyone will start writing. Feel free to drop by, and bring a friend, or maybe some coffee!

To learn more about NaNoWriMo, please check out http://www.nanowrimo.org!