All around the world, hundreds of thousands of people are gearing up for a month-long challenge that is not for the faint of heart, and no, it is not No-Shave November. November is officially designated as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and participants are challenged to write 50,000 words between Nov.1 and Nov. 30. NaNoWriMo is run by an international non-profit organization called the Office of Letters and Light, which also runs the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program for writers 12 and under, as well as an event called Script Frenzy in April. The program boasts participants in over 60 countries and more than 90 published novels that were written during the event, including #1 New York Timesbestsellers "Water for Elephants"by Sara Gruenand "The Night Circus"by Erin Morgenstern.
In a 2011 press release, Founder and Executive Director of NaNoWriMo Chris Baty said, "The 50,000-word challenge has a wonderful way of opening up your imagination and unleashing creativity." The program encourages writers, both seasoned and inexperienced, to exercise their creative capabilities and explore plots and ideas they have been gradually developing. But participants aren't left alone to sink or swim over the course of the month. The program holds events called Write-Ins, which are hosted by regional volunteers, where participants can gather together to support and encourage one another. The program and regional volunteers also set several word count goals throughout the month for every participant to strive to meet.
Freshman Christine McDonnell is one of the several Longwood students who is participating in NaNoWriMo. This will be her second year participating in the event. "I enjoy it because it challenges me to go above and beyond my usual standards as a writer. Maybe one day everyone will see my [novel] on a bookstore's shelf," said McDonnell. Sometimes the hardest part of NaNoWriMo is writer's block. "Writer's block is every writer's worst nightmare, especially during NaNo. When it hits me, I just take a break and come back to it later," said McDonnell. Luckily, the writers have Write-Ins, their peers and regional volunteers who help them through when they get stuck.
Junior Cheryl Hinterleitner serves as the NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaison for Farmville and the surrounding areas of Cumberland, Buckingham, Crewe and Amelia. Those eligible to volunteer to be Municipal Liaisons are people who are at least 18 years or older and have participated in NaNoWriMo at least once before. "I serve as everything from an event organizer, forum moderator, plot bunny catcher, tear drier (when thing do not go as well as [participants] had hoped), as well as a celebration sharer when word goals are achieved," said Hinterleitner. Hinterleitner said that she will be hosting Write-Ins for the participants in her areas on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Lancer Café in the bottom of the Lankford Student Union. She will also be hosting her area's first ever Night of Writing Dangerously on Nov. 20. The event is open to anyone and Hinterleitner said it is not too late to sign up to participate in NaNoWriMo.
For more information on National Novel Writing Month or to sign up to participate, visit www.nanowrimo.org
