Thousands of writers across the nation, professionals and hobbyists alike, participate each year in NaNoWriMo. You may have seen the phrase pop up on your social media timelines, usually accompanied by a frenzied fear of meeting deadlines and word counts.  

For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, a semi-competitive event hosted by a nonprofit organization (of the same name) that challenges creatives to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. Founded by Chris Baty in 1999, the event has evolved and developed a vast community of contributing writers, some of whom have published massively successful books initially penned during the event – among them Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants.  

While NaNoWriMo is ostensibly dedicated to novel writing, many participants use it as an exercise in endurance, challenging themselves not to write a single novel but instead dedicate their time to as many writing projects as possible, totaling 50,000 words. Similarly, some writers use this event to experiment with form, creating works of interactive fiction with the use of game development tools such as Twine. 

Whatever your approach, NaNoWriMo is an excellent motivational tool. Camp NaNoWriMo, a community of like-minded peers, offers support and collaborative advice as well as badges to celebrate milestones. A calendar of events – including a virtual writer's room hosted by the Central Library on November 23 – provides opportunities for connection with, and inspiration from, other writers. 

For more information about tackling the challenge of NaNoWriMo and getting inspired, there is a wealth of NaNoWriMo resources. You can also check out:
 

• The Library’s NaNoWriMo Resources Bibliocommons list. 
• Create a Twine Game for NaNoWriMo.