NaNoWriMo, a word that seems like a chimera of strange sounds, is actually a clever abbreviation of the words “National Novel Writing Month.” While November is the month of many events, one notable event that has been growing in literary circles across North America is NaNoWriMo.
At the core of the NaNoWriMo project, according to their website, is “a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November”. This exciting challenge started in 1999 and continued as a non-profit to empower writers of all ages.
In partnership with libraries and youth writing groups, the November writing sprint yielded some notable novels, such as Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (which was later turned into a blockbuster film).
The writers, affectionately called Wrimos, range from established authors to those who have never penned a word. To become a Wrimo, one can sign up on their website and join a forum where writers can exchange ideas, ask for support and motivate each other.
This year, many Simcoe County libraries – including Barrie, Essa, BWG, and more – collaborated to bring NaNoWriMo to the fore. There will be many information sessions and virtual write-ins throughout the month of November, in addition to kick-off and closing events bookending NaNoWriMo. As well, there will be events helping writers publish or self-publish their creations. BWG Public Library will be hosting its own virtual write-in event on November 20th to help Wrimos increase their word count.
Even though the challenge is to write 50,000 words, Wrimos who do not possess these lofty goals are encouraged to participate, too – as the ultimate goal is just to ... write!
