NaNoWriMo

My blog title violates one of the basic tenets of good communication I cover in most every training class:  don't use jargon if your audience might not know the meaning of the term.  Still, I broke the rule.  Any idea why?  I'll explain at the end of this blog, but for now, I'd like to tell you what NaNoWriMo means.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) began in 1999 with a group of writers in the San Francisco Bay area.  NaNoWriMo draws writers and would-be writers together in November to each write a 50,000 word novel.  It's a no-holds-barred approach to writing.  Just write!  Get it down and dirty, but get it down.


Most writers know that first drafts never look pretty anyway, so the goal of NaNoWriMo isn't as far-fetched as it seems.  Even so, this is my first year trying to do it.  Why?  November ain't the easiest month for me to commit to writing 50,000 words.  November has elections, my birthday, several friends' birthdays, and Thanksgiving, not to mention the onset of Christmas shopping and craziness.

Last year, a friend of mine did NaNoWriMo.  It gave her a huge jumpstart on her novel.  She's doing it again this year, and four days into the month, I decided to jump on the band wagon.  Yes, you heard me correctly, with all the barriers November presents, I still signed up 4 days late.  I hope to hit the 50,000 mark, but even if I don't, I'll have something to show for it.  I tend to be very goal-oriented, so the numbers I generate will drive me forward.

And the NaNoWriMo website generates a chart that tells me how I'm doing on my goal.  That's pretty cool. How many words do I need to write to catch up today?  It tells me.  (By the way, the answer is 1929 words per day, not as easy as it sounds.)

So, this month, my blogs may be shorter since my writing time needs to focus on the 50,000 word goal.  The blog can't count toward my goal, so there you have it.

Oh, and why did I break the rules of good communication in my blog title?  Simple.  Blog traffic.  Other writers might find this blog by searching for NaNoWriMo.  They know what it means!

Comments

Phil Arnold said…
Nice use of Google with your title. It works great for me with ElvisBlog.

Phil
Valerie said…
Keep going! I'm excited for you and Carole, and hope you both hit your goals.
Susan M. Boyer said…
You go, Babby! I signed up and planned to NaNaNo, but my priority shifted to outlining the third book in my series.

Goog luck, and good Blog traffic skills!

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