National Novel Writing Month
by April E. Osborn

Ever thought about writing a novel but not ready to put years into writing it? Well, November is your month.

This month, Benjamin Keely, a freshman computer science major at BYU, plans on writing his first novel in less than thirty days. He will be joined by thousands of aspiring writers at BYU and across the nation, all striving to meet a 50,000-word finish line.

Founded in Oakland, California, in 1999, National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is a program that encourages fast-paced writing and a frenzy of creativity every November. The goal: write a 175-page novel (50,000 words) in one month.

The philosophy: writing quickly without worrying about how “good” their writing is allows participants to expand their creativity and get it all out on paper (or at least on the word processor) without straining the nerves so much.

NaNoWriMo is out to create a nation of novelists and help spread a love of reading and writing to people around the world. While there is no entry fee, participants who are able are encouraged to make contributions to help pay hosting and administration costs.

Between 2004 and 2006, fifty percent of net proceeds from donations and merchandise went to build libraries for children in Southeast Asia in conjunction with an existing program called Room to Read. So far, the program has built seventeen libraries: three in Cambodia, seven in Laos, and seven in Vietnam. Visit nanowrimo.org for more information.

LDS Living Magazine