What is NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, thousands of writers commit to writing a novel in a month. The goal is to write 50,000 between November 1 and November 30.

NaNoWriMo is about breaking free of your restrictions and completing a draft, no matter how terrible. It is always easier to edit a draft that exists than one that is only in your head.

What is NaNoPlaMo?

NaNoPlaMo, National Novel Planning Month, is my own month of planning and preparation for NaNoWriMo. NaNo calls it NaNoPrepMo[note]National Novel Preparation Month[/note], which is perhaps a better description, but I’ll stick with my name for now.

Every year, I document the writing of my novel in posts, along with helpful hints if you want to join in. I’ll cover ideas, characters, plot, and tone over the next month. NaNoPlaMo will have daily posts through the month of October.

How to Participate

Join me and the other writers on the NaNoWriMo website. You can join for free and be part of the programs. If you are under 18, you can join their Young Writers Program. Once you join, you can view my NaNo page.

Follow along with my posts during the month of October. Plan your own novel and join me in writing one for November.

We’ll start today by determining what our writing goal should be for the month. Click the right arrow below to go to the next post.