How to Become a NaNoWriMo Winner

NaNoWriMo or the National Novel Writer’s Month contest is a contest for writers to complete a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. Winners of the contests are those that are able to complete the 50,000 word minimum. There’s no official check of winners. The only way it is checked, is by uploading it to NaNoWriMo, where they do a word count. Nobody will read your novel unless you allow them to. Instead, NaNoWriMo is a way to get writers together and write, regardless of whether or not you have the time to write, and whether or not what you write is any good (editing is supposed to be done later). It is a popular way to meet other writers.

Instructions

1. Sign up at the NaNoWriMo website. Usually sign up begins in October, but sometimes they will open the website in September. Anyone is eligible to sign up. No prior writing experience is expected.

2. Make any plans, outlines or character studies beforehand. No actual writing is allowed to be done before November 1st, however, many writers will outline their stories before hand, or write biographies for their characters, so that they have some idea of what they’ll be writing about.

3. Plan your writing schedule ahead of time. NaNoWriMo can be a fairly disrupting month, particularly if you have family or work obligations. The best way to get through November is to plan your writing needs ahead of time. In order to complete the 50,000 word limit during 30 days, it typically means that writers have to write 1700 words per day, every day, which you can keep track of on your homepage at NaNoWriMo. Once you’ve decided how much you plan to write every day, consider what time of day you plan to write and try to stick to it.

4. Participate in NaNoWriMo functions and forums. One of the reasons why NaNoWriMo is popular is because it brings writers together. Go to the forums and talk to other writers there. In the forums you will find ways to relieve writers block, or get ideas and encouragement. In many cities, NaNoWriMo writers will meet at local coffee shops to have writing marathons, which is just another way to keep you motivated.

5. Upload your final count. Starting November 25th, writers are able to begin uploading their final count for verification. Assuming you have reached your 50,000 word goal and it is before the end of November 30th, NaNoWriMo will declare you a winner. There are no prizes, however, your name will be included on the list of winners and you will have a certificate to download. Now that NaNoWriMo is over, December is unofficially considered the month for editing.