How many words is your favorite novel? Most people probably have no idea because thinking of a novel in terms of words is crazy (it’s easy to think of them in pages, chapters, or how many you can use as a doorstop). Did you know that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is only 76,944 words long? That raises an important question – just how much writing is that?
In an effort to help people begin a first draft of a novel, a yearly event called National Novel Writing Month occurs in November. Also known as NaNoWriMo, it is an effort to get people who want to write a novel actually work on said novel. The only prize you can win is 50,000 words that could be the beginnings of a novel, but for many, this is a start and working along with thousands of others is part of the prize.
I’ve done NaNoWriMo for four years, but because it has fallen during the most hectic time of midterms, I haven’t been able to participate for most of college. This year, I decided to attend a NaNoWriMo Boston meet up (appropriately titled, NaNoBoston) at the Boston Public Library, to force myself to write again.
Throughout my first hour at the event, I ran into an interesting mix of people. There were people of all ages and ethnicities. There were students like myself, those who had jobs that had nothing to do with writing, and a few people I spoke with who were actually involved with writing in vastly different ways before attempting NaNoWrimo.
One woman, Liz said, “I was previously a journalist in a small town so this is entirely different for me.” She added that she had been plotting out a fantasy story and was unsure of how to organize her thoughts. “I tried outlining, but I’m afraid I’ll end up just writing as I go!” Although her current job doesn’t have much to do with writing, she added how excited she was to have this opportunity to be with others and work on her ideas.
On the other end of the writing spectrum, I also met a self published author. Cait had tried and failed NaNoWriMo four times even though she has actually published over five books. “I can’t get myself motivated for NaNoWriMo! But this month, I’ll win!” she said. She mentioned that her NaNoWriMo book was going to be the next book in a series of her romantic erotica, which she informed us, would be “nothing like Fifty Shades of Grey!”
After an hour of creating bonds with the fellow writers, the leaders of the meet up, Anna and Travis, shushed the group and began the proceedings. In an effort to get the group to feel more like a group, they sold NaNoBoston products–pens, t-shirts, and messenger bags–to help raise money for the organization as a whole.
But the main attraction of the event was giving out goodie bags to the group. Within these bags were inspirational pep talks, stickers, and caffeine for the long nights of writing ahead. In another effort to get us motivated and excited about this upcoming month, they made us give a six word description of what we currently have for our novel. Although some went with variations of “I have no idea,” many creatively threw together phrases that really stuck together, such as “The utility of a villain.”
After all the goodie bags were handed out, the leaders informed us of the dates of write-ins, where groups of writers could get together and work on our stories while bouncing ideas off each other. We also had to hand in writing prompts before we were allowed to leave.
The bonds that were made between writers were the most valuable things that could have happened. Instead of trying to go through this daunting task alone, after attending this meet up, I have a group of writers who are willing to push me creatively. One of the women at the event mentioned a phrase that I felt summed up the entire experience: “Write alone, go fast. Write together, go far.”
National Novel Writing Month begins on November 1 and ends on November 30. Sign up is free on the website. For more information about the Boston meet ups, click here.
