NaNoWriMo 2023: The Official Thread
NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month) is a global writing challenge that takes place every November. The goal is to write at least 50,000 words (roughly the length of a short novel) in a single month (November 1-30).
https://nanowrimo.org
NaNoWriMo can be used to work on a new project, make progress on an existing story, or you can even choose to work on multiple projects such as responses to our weekly challenges or whatever else you choose. I personally use it to catch up on my fanfiction WIPs… my plan for this year is to finally complete Veritas Omnia Vincit.
I'll follow up with some basic info to help new folks get started. Also, feel free to ask any questions and/or post about anything related to NaNoWriMo in this thread. 🙂
GETTING STARTED
First, you'll want to register on the NaNoWriMo website. Once you've verified your account, you'll see a large banner at the top with a button that says "join with a new novel".
Type in the name of your project, submit, and congratulations! You are now an official NaNoWriMo participant.
If you want to add more information for your project, fill out your profile, and/or check your stats, you can do all that from the top menu where it says "My NaNoWriMo". You can also add buddies on the site… click here to add me if you'd like.
HOW IT WORKS
Once NaNoWriMo starts (midnight on November 1 in your time zone), you'll be able to visit the site and update your word count. I'll post screenshots of that when the time comes, but it's really easy. There's a button right at the top that will allow you to do so.
FINAL NOTE
You don't have to sign up on the NaNoWriMo site. If you'd like to go for 50,000 words or even a smaller goal and keep track of it yourself, you're more than welcome to participate with us in this thread. That said, using the NaNoWriMo site offers a number of perks. Their tracking system is great, you earn badges, and if you win, you'll receive an awesome winner's certificate as well as a bunch of cool offers that are exclusive to official NaNoWriMo winners.
So what do you think? Ready to give it a try? I hope so! As someone who has done NaNoWriMo every year for well over a decade, I can tell you that it's 100% worth the effort. 💚
I'm in.
Sent you an invite on NaNoWriMo. I'm hoping to wrangle some non-Always members in it too.
Best of luck to all participants.
Yay!
I'll be spending lots of time in the writing channel once it starts, so feel free to join. Also, you're welcome to invite any friends who are participating to join us there, whether they're a site member or not. 💚
My personal NaNoWriMo chart. 😍 I can't wait to start filling it in!
Side note: This isn't required/has nothing to do with the NaNoWriMo website. I just enjoy keeping a separate record of my progress.
2030 words for day one. Nothing too impressive, but it's a solid start. 🙂
Bring on day two!
That’s impressive.
I only managed 1646 words. You surpassed me.
I said I'd top yesterday's number, and I did. Super good writing day… if I keep going like this, I'll have a nice, fat chapter to post in the next few days. 🙂
Something worth mentioning…
I'm able to hit big targets mainly because I've been doing this for more than a decade and have learned lots of strategies over the years. I'd be happy to share some, but it's important to note that NaNoWriMo is about hitting 50,000 words, not getting the highest word count. Yes, I tend to go for more than 50K, but that's only because I like to compete with myself/make as much progress as possible while I'm in the zone. This year in particular, I'm trying to finish Veritas Omnia Vincit, so I'll be pushing myself extra hard.
So yeah, just focus on hitting 50K. When you do, I promise you it'll be an amazing feeling. That's especially true if this is your first time… you'll be so proud of yourself, and you'll have every reason to be!
Good luck, and please remember I'm here if you need any encouragement. Other than that? Keep up with the great (or not so great) writing! 💚💚💚
I did better than yesterday which surprised me but I think I hit a wall.
You did AMAZING! Man, the first year I did NaNoWriMo, I could barely get the minimum each day.
One of the cool things about going way over the minimum like that is that it reduces the daily average you need for the rest of the month. That can help take some of the pressure off, especially if you have several really good days right at the beginning.
