Chris Higgins
Write That Novel, Already
by Chris Higgins - November 1, 2007 - 7:30 AM

NaNoWriMo LogoToday marks the start of another NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), an event during which new and veteran writers attempt to complete a brand new novel. As the site says, “The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.” Boasting over 79,000 participants in 2006 — nearly 13,000 of whom actually completed the 50,000 word goal — this is where aspiring novelists need to be.

Although NaNoWriMo is primarily about putting pen to paper (or, uh, fingers to keyboard), many NaNoWriMo novels have been published — check out this list of 19 such novels, including the rather famous Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Here are some impressive statistics demonstrating the growth of NaNoWriMo since its inception in 1999:

Founded: 1999 in Oakland, CA

Annual participant/winner totals:

1999: 21 participants and six winners

2000: 140 participants and 29 winners

2001: 5000 participants and more than 700 winners

2002: 13,500 participants and around 2,100 winners

2003: 25,500 participants and about 3,500 winners

2004: 42,000 participants and just shy of 6,000 winners

2005: 59,000 participants and 9,769 winners

2006: 79,813 participants and 12,948 winners

Number of official NaNoWriMo chapters around the world: Over 500

Number of K-12 schools who participated in 2005: Over 100

Number of K-12 schools who participated in 2006: Over 300

Number of NaNoWriMo manuscripts that have been sold to big-time publishing houses: Many (details below)

Percent of NaNoWriMo’s net proceeds from donations and merchandise sales that went to build libraries for children in Southeast Asia 2004-2006: 50%

Number of libraries NaNoWriMo has built through this program: Twenty-two (three in Cambodia, seven in Laos, an anticipated twelve in Vietnam, pending 2006 financials)

Number of words officially logged by participants during the 2004 event: 428,164,975

Number of words officially logged by participants during the 2005 event: 714,227,354

Number of words officially logged by participants during the 2006 event: 982,564,701

To get started, check out How NaNoWriMo Works (in Ten Easy Steps) or consult the helpful book No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days. If you’re a visual artist, check out NaNoMangO, a similar project for comics.

Have any _flossers participated in NaNoWriMo? If so, share your story in the comments!

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Click here to get a Risk-Free issue of mental_floss magazine
Comments (12)

  1. I remember John Green announcing that it was “Come on finish your novel already I mean really day” awhile back, which mainly applied to himself.

    posted by Ransom on 11-1-2007 at 8:09 am

  2. Thanks Higgins, now I don’t have a good excuse to procrastinate any longer. God this is gonna suck.

    posted by TMo on 11-1-2007 at 8:16 am

  3. I participated a couple of years ago, but never finished. I had a hard time letting go of the whole “plot” expectation of novels, so I got stuck with a really great beginning, some other junk, and the outline of an ending. And I couldn’t figure out how to get from point A to point B.

    posted by Kristen on 11-1-2007 at 8:44 am

  4. My husband participated, and was a winner, in last year’s NaNoWriMo. I am so proud of him! It was a stressful month, but he finished his novel. He is planning on participating again this year. Go Scott!

    posted by Michelle on 11-1-2007 at 8:49 am

  5. This is my third year doing it, and hopefully this time I’ll make it to 50,000 (I got to ~15,000 the first time and ~35,000 the second).

    Life is good so far– I’m at 6673 words, wahoo! Mind you, I’m writing the bit where I know what happens, and soon as that ends I’ll probably plummet to 20 words a day.

    posted by M on 11-1-2007 at 9:18 am

  6. I’m inspired! Going to give a shot. 1,667 words per day. :)

    posted by Shannon on 11-1-2007 at 10:26 am

  7. I’m not writing a novel, but I’m going to take the chance to write 50,000 original words on something. Doing it my own, way, I guess.

    posted by Kitty on 11-1-2007 at 1:20 pm

  8. Whoa, strike the comma after ‘own.’ I hate mistakes like that.

    posted by Kitty on 11-1-2007 at 1:21 pm

  9. This is my fifth year doing NaNo! And hopefully, I’ll be a winner for the fifth time as well. For all those going to participate: good luck! :D

    posted by Lindsay on 11-1-2007 at 1:44 pm

  10. I completed NaNoWriMo in 2004, failed in 2005, and had to sit it out in 2006. I’m trying again this year, and my first day word count was 1,979 (you need to average 1,667). So I’m happy tonight, but I’ve got a long way to go.

    posted by John I. Carney on 11-1-2007 at 8:33 pm

  11. This year all of the incoming freshman at my school had to read Water for Elephants before the semester started and there have been a lot of lectures etc about it. Does anyone know if its any good?
    -the fact that my college picked it is minus point for me.

    posted by KEB on 11-1-2007 at 8:35 pm

  12. KEB-
    I started reading Water for Elephants last summer (’06), but didn’t have time to finish.
    This past summer, I actually got a chance to finish a copy.
    It’s not my favorite book, but it’s certainly worth reading.

    posted by Megan on 11-2-2007 at 2:09 am

Comment

commenting policy