5 Big Reasons to Participate in National Novel Writing Month
The annual writing event you should join.
The start of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short, is only a week away! This annual writing event happens every November, and it’s a great event to participate in.
For anybody who has dreams of writing a book, or writing a bunch of short pieces, know that the act of writing can get hassling at times. We love it, but when you have only ideas and you want the finished product…there is a long, long way to go.
That’s what makes NaNoWriMo so great for writers! It helps us on our path to our dreams. And you can really write anything, as long as you aim for at least 50,000 words.
If you still don’t know if you want to participate, check out these five big reasons you should.
1. NaNoWriMo forces you to set time to write a routine
The only way you are going to write 50,000 words in a month is by setting time aside to write. That’s a fact.
Let’s break it down by the numbers. 50,000 words throughout the month of November is about 1667 words a day. If you are double-spacing your document, that’s about 300 words a page. So every day you will have to write about five and a half pages.
It’s a proven fact that to increase efficiency and help create lasting habits, you have to establish a routine. That’s how it goes for exercising, and it definitely goes for writing.
NaNoWriMo makes you set aside a chunk of time from your day, whether it’s an hour in the morning before work, or an hour or two before bed, or sometime else. If you create the habit, the routine, during this event and carry it with you going forward, writing is going to get a lot easier.
2. NaNoWriMo helps you find a community of writers.
It’s a good idea in any kind of art form to find a community that will help support you, give you advice, and take an interest in your work.
During NaNoWriMo, there are so many opportunities to connect with fellow participants. You can join a group focused by genre, follow hashtags on social media, and connect with other people. On the NaNoWriMo site, there is a home region feature, which can connect you with other NaNoWriMo participants near you, and alert you to writing events happen in your city.
These communities can offer support during the month, but can also last far past the month.
3. NaNoWriMo will make you make progress on your project.
You don’t have to win NaNoWriMo for it to be worth it.
Even if you fall off the NaNoWriMo train after only writing 45,000 words, or 25,000 words, or 10,000 words; you will still have made progress with your book. Whatever you write during the month of November can help you reach your goal that much sooner.
And if you do make it to 50,000 words? That is a very solid start to your book. Heck, it might even be the complete first draft depending on your genre!
Whether you only do NaNoWriMo for a week, or stick it out to the end, you will make progress on your writing project.
4. NaNoWriMo rewards you for writing a lot.
You can get prizes!
Perhaps the most well-known is that you get discounts on the writing software Scrivener. If you win, you get 50% off, and if you just participate in NaNoWriMo, you get 20% off.
There are a bunch more benefits to participating and winning, and you can check out the list on the NaNoWriMo site here!
5. NaNoWriMo can be fun!
Above all, participating in NaNoWriMo can be a really fun time. Sure it can be stressful, especially with all of your other daily obligations during the month.
But you can also sit back, relax, and type out a story that you enjoy. Engaging with other people, seeing your word count increase during the month, discovering new things about your work, and more can happen during the month.
Haven’t participated in NaNoWriMo before? Give it a shot!
If you want to support the writer, consider buying him a Ko-Fi.
