The Errant Æsthete

For the wannabe scribes out there, clear off the desk, assemble the favorite tools of your sometime trade and prepare to join countless other would-be Hemingways across the globe to participate in what devotees call NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. (Nov. 1st through the 30th)

The gist of it is simple, you’ve got one month to write a novel (defined by NaNoWriMo as 50,000 words or 175 pages, considered to be long enough and achievable for the average writer in thirty days) and forever more call yourself a novelist. Best of all, you needn’t suffer through your angst-ridden-writer-block days alone since the event now attracts literally thousands from all over the world and that seems to be the point for the pursuit of this pain — literary togetherness.

“NaNoWriMo is about much more than simply sitting at your computer in a quiet corner somewhere and typing out 50,000 words; it’s about being part of a huge number of people doing something challenging. In order to connect all the participants to each other, keep track of how many people are writing, and confirm reaching that magical word count, every novelist is asked to sign up (at no cost) on the NaNoWriMo.org Web site. In hundreds of cities around the globe, novelists schedule regular write-ins at cafés and bars to encourage each other as they write. In addition, online forums are abuzz all during the month as the writers seek and give advice, brag or complain about their word counts, and try to maintain enough collective enthusiasm to get everyone through the month. There are also numerous kick-off (and “Thank God It’s Over”) parties, and in some places, even weekend novel-writing retreats.”

To learn more about National Novel Writing Month or sign up as an author, visit the NaNoWriMo.org Web site.

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