November is National Novel Writing Month

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One of the most stressful months for writers is November because it is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  Starting November 1 through November 30,  writers young and old all over the world will be participating in NaNoWriMo. During this time, writers will be testing their novel writing abilities by trying to reach a goal of writing 50,000 words by the end of the month.

In 2012, over 340,000 people in six continents participated in NaNoWriMo. Many of the writers are amateurs, however professional authors are also encouraged to participate. In fact, over 250 NaNoWriMo novels have been traditionally published, such as Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder.

“I’m writing about a trans girl and her mom. They’re running from her mom’s boyfriend who is abusive.” IB Senior Emma Profit said. “I hope [to finish]. If I stay at the pace I’m going now, I will, but we’ll see.”

NaNoWriMo is often used as an opportunity for writers to motivate themselves enough to finish a full novel. In order to reach the goal word count, they have to write an average of about 1,666 words every day.

“I’m writing a bunch of essays about my life,” IB senior Joey Hager, who has written about 20,500 words so far, said. “I hope [to finish] but with schoolwork and everything, I might not get there.”

It is still not too late to join the thousands of other writers doing NaNoWriMo this year. Make sure to check out NaNoWriMo.org for helpful information and pep talks.