NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month, gives aspiring novel writers the kick in the butt they need to start writing. Writers have from 12 a.m. Nov. 1 to 11:59 p.m. Nov. 30 to produce a 50,000 word novel. That’s about 1,666 words per day.
The best part? It’s free, thanks to the generous donations from individuals and businesses that keep the National Novel Writing Month 501(c)(3)nonprofit going.
The target audience includes pretty much anyone worldwide who has a dream to write a book. According to NaNoWriMo’s 2012 stats, “341,375 participants started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.”
Throughout the month, writers submit their word count to the NaNoWriMo website. Wannabe novelists can also get support online from other “wrimos” past and present, as well as through in-person meetups. Winners (those who write a novel that’s at least 50,000 words and upload it to the NaNoWriMo site) will be eligible to win “goodies.”
The NaNoWriMo project and site are important because it gives many people of various walks a chance to actually accomplish their goal of writing a book. Most people just need a deadline and structure to get them going and NaNoWriMo provides that.
The thing is, and they warn you about this during the process, is that you can’t be afraid to write some stuff that is crap. Full disclosure: this is a big reason that I have started NaNoWriMo a few times and not finished. The fear my writing isn’t good enough is a fear I really need to squash. But that’s another blog for another time.
In terms of the other major social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) I don’t think NaNoWriMo is meant to be a direct competitor. What NaNoWriMo has to offer is much more specialized than general social networking. National Novel Writing Month gives aspiring writers the tools and motivation they need to buckle down and write a book instead of letting life get in the way.
NaNoWriMo does a great job of helping writers connect with other writers where they live through the individual localized threads set up on their site. To increase awareness, NaNoWriMo could introduce an app, which would send push notifications to users and let them know when there are writing meetups in their area or where the closest Come Write In location is in their area.
Like their worldwide participants, NaNoWriMo seems to be everywhere. The organization already has a great presence on Facebook, Twitter and content communities YouTube, Pinterest and Flickr. They’re working on building a presence on Google+. They’ve got a blog on Tumblr.
The next place National Novel Writing Month may want to work on building its presence is on LinkedIn. There is a NationalNovel Writing Month group, but there is no company page. Also, NaNoWriMo sends emails to writers who sign up, but they could perhaps extend their reach with a direct mail campaign as well.
Bottom line, for a nonprofit with just seven full-time staffers, NaNoWriMo does a great job of inspiring writers young and old all over the world, including me, to live their dream.
