Stave Off Writer’s Block This November with NaNoWriMo

Even though the November 1 start of NaNoWriMo (that’s National Novel Writing Month to newbs) is more than a week away, the prospect of tackling a 50,000-word piece of fiction in 30 days requires adequate preparation, no? Now in its 12th year, the annual writing program—the word “contest” is avoided—has matriculated dozens of published authors, the most known of which is likely Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants, Ape House). But the goal of NaNoWriMo isn’t to toil away for publication purposes; it’s to have fun and foster community. Participants have access to message boards and forums, can arrange for local workshopping powwows, and are able keep tabs on their word counts with fun widgets. There's even a Procrastination Station for slackers. This year also marks the first annual NaNoWriMo book drive, so contributors can introduce youngins to the joys of reading. It’s really win-win for everyone involved. Just don’t write the same word 50,000 times. (No, really, that’s one of NaNoWriMo’s few rules.)