Students write 50k word novels

In November, everybody with access to a word processor and an overactive imagination is challenged by The Office of Letters and Light, a nonprofit organization based in California, to write a novel in one month.

Founded by Chris Baty in 1999, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a month-long competition held annually, in which writers around the globe are challenged to write a 50,000-word novel between Nov. 1 to Nov. 30.

With e-mailed pep talks, events held online and in local venues, NaNoWriMo is the perfect opportunity for writers who need incentives and healthy competition in order to get their writing done.

"I have written short stories for several years in high school, and I did a little bit of creative writing. I had tried to write longer things before, but I had never succeeded. When I finally tried NaNoWriMo, it just kind of happened and I got the whole story out," said Heather Martin, an ACC student. Martin has participated three times and is twice a NaNoWriMo winner.

NaNoWriMo emphasizes quantity over quality. There is no time for detailed editing processes and extensive research during the one month.

The only thing that matters is the output. The point of this approach is to force the writers to lower their expectations, make risky decisions in their plots and write as fast as they possibly can without their fingers falling off their hands.

According to the NaNoWriMo website, more than 650 Austinites are registered to officially participate this year compared to 2009, when 579 writers participated in the region.

According to a press release from Austin Municipal Liaison Emily Bristow, of those 579 participants, 240 achieved the 50,000-word goal and were declared NaNoWriMo winners.

This year, Austin is teaming up with Houston to challenge the state of Maryland in the annual Word Count Challenge. The challenge is an optional side competition designed to motivate its participants to aim for higher word counts.

"One year I wrote 83,500 (words). That is a lot, but we were in a word war with Houston and we really wanted to beat them. It looked like I was going to finish at 53,000, but I saw that they were winning, so I sat down and wrote some more over the weekend," said Bristow. She is also an eight times NaNoWriMo winner.

NaNoWriMo works entirely through donations. The money that is not spent within the organization or the website is used to fund the Young Writers Program.

The program is designed to provide the tools and support for teachers to bring the NaNoWriMo experience to the classroom. Amber Kesley, five time NaNoWriMo winner, participates with her 12, 13 and 15-year-old children that participate through the Young Writers Program.

"It is a family thing. That is what I like about it, coming together as a family to help each other," said Kesley.

But no matter what a writer's motivation is to participate in NaNoWriMo, the common goal is still the same: to meet the 50,000 word count and to write a novel.

"I think everybody should try to write a novel at least once in their lives. If only for the experience of stretching their own creativity. Everyone should try something new and creative every year," said Alan Rogers, seven times NaNoWriMo winner.