For many people, the end of October is an exciting time of year with Halloween right around the corner, but for a handful of brave souls all over the world, the end of October is a time of extreme stress and extensive planning. Why are these people so busy? Because of one complicated acronym- NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writers Month, where you try to write a whopping 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. Some people do No Shave November, and some people do NaNoWriMo.

If you have the guts to simply start planning for NaNoWriMo, then my heart goes out to you. Anyone who has tried to write a novel will tell you the same thing, trying to write a book is hard. Try making a snowman in the middle of July and multiply the difficulty by 10, that’s how hard it is to write a novel. It might seem like fun and games at first- and it is- but when you try to get the whole thing done in a month which means writing three pages, single spaced, 12 point font every day, you may begin to get a little overwhelmed. The difficult part of writing a book is that you’re never fully satisfied with the final result.  No matter how many times you go back and review your novel, a part of you will always find something to change or a few words to add or delete. Eventually, you will reach the point where you can live with the final result, and when you get to that point, you’ll know. You probably won’t have to think about the final draft of that novel during November, but it’s a good thing to keep in the back of your mind.

If 50,000 words seems like too much for you, then you can participate in the NaNoWriMo Young Writer’s Program (TWP), which is for participants 17 and under.  In the YWP you set your own goal, although participants usually go for 30,000 words.  If you’re up for the 50,000 word challenge however you don’t have to be over 17, you can be any age.

When you try to balance school, clubs, sports, and all your other commitments with NaNoWriMo, it’ll be a miracle if you don’t want to bang your head against a wall of solid titanium two weeks in. If you’re still typing by the third week and you aren’t either starving, dying of dehydration, or your hands haven’t fallen off, then my heart goes out to you. Don’t get mad at your friends if they accuse you of falling off the face of the earth, because it’s basically a given that you’ll have to kiss your social life goodbye during this frantic month. It isn’t unheard of for writers to shut off their cell phones and forbid email access so that they don’t get distracted. Once November is over, you can go back to your normal routine, and you’ll have bragging rights.

There are just as many possible problems during NaNoWriMo as there are things that could go wrong during Thanksgiving dinner.  The first problem aspiring writers will have to face is obvious- what will their novel be about?  You want to come up with an idea that you’ll like in for a long time, you don’t want to type 20,000 words and then run out of ideas. You don’t necessarily have to love your idea, but you have to at least be content with it, and most importantly, it has to be detailed enough for you to get 50,000 words out of it.  Most novels are at least 70,000 words, but that doesn’t mean your novel can’t be shorter. You don’t have to finish your novel in 30 days; you just have to write a chunk of it. Basically, just have fun and get creative!  It’s okay if you laugh at your own inside jokes from time to time, even if everyone else looks at you like you’re a little crazy.

You also don’t have to try to get your novel published-you can if you want- but no one is going to stand over you with a handful of rubber bands threatening to fling one at you if you don’t publish your novel.  If you can’t get a solid plot down, look at the main characters. Are they 5 or 95? Human or alien? Adorable or snarky?  The choice is completely up to you.  I’ve found from experience that the more details about your story you have the easier it is to write. If you’re having a ton of trouble coming up with your own story, then by all means, write a fan fiction!  Within your wonderful 30 day time frame the sky is the limit.

Once you find something that you like to write about, simply force yourself to sit at a desk and type.  Just get all of your ideas down on paper, don’t go back and edit, and whatever you do, do no fuss over every little spelling or grammar mistake, just write.  It might be tempting to go back and look at what you’ve written, but you will never reach 50,000 words in a month if you edit your story more than you write it. I know what you’re thinking, stories always have good grammar and spelling so shouldn’t I go back and review it?  Well, yes, you should, but you have to finish the puke draft first.  Once your first copy is done, you can go back and edit and go over your novel with a fine tooth comb as much as you want.

If you’re going to attempt NaNoWriMo, then good luck.  Even if you don’t make your word count goal, it’s still a wonderful learning experience.  The more you write, the better you get.  NaNoWriMo is one of the few times where you really force yourself to get your creative juices flowing.  Just sit back, turn off your phone and email, keep a pen and paper with you at all times, and write.

For more information visit the NaNoWriMo website: http://www.nanowrimo.org/