National Novel Writing Month 2004

National Novel Writing Month was the brainchild of Chris Baty, a twenty-something caffeine-addled writer who wanted merely to "democratize novel-writing, and bring the empowering, hands-on joys of artistic creation to everyday lives around the world."

Achievable Goals.

The idea? Write a novel of 50,000 words in one month. In 1999, at National Novel Writing Month's inception, there were 21 participants all in the San Francisco Bay area. Now, in its sixth year, National Novel Writing Month is an international undertaking with its own web site and 40,000 participants. It is expected that of these, 5000 will succeed in their attempt to finish the 50,000 words between November 1 and midnight on November 30, 2004.

Crazy? Perhaps.

I was fortunate enough to convince a handful of these speed writers to step away from their laptops and their carpal tunnel syndrome long enough to give me the insider's lowdown on this wild undertaking. Due to time considerations, I was only able to choose from those in nearby (USA) time zones for our late night chat, but as you'll see, NaNoWriMo crosses boundaries of age, location, and background.


Anne, 44: Pennsylvania
Richard, 36: California
Colonia, 15: Massachusetts
April, 24: Texas
Teresa, 45: Massachusetts
Sara, 28: Nevada



MF: Have you done NaNoWriMo in previous years?


Anne: This is my fourth year doing NaNo.

Richard: Yep. 2001 and 2003. Finished 50K both years

Colonia: This is my first year.

Teresa: This is my first year.

April: This is my first year.

Sara: Yes, in 2003. Lost miserably. I'm excited to try again.


MF: Have you attempted a non NaNoWriMo novel before?


Anne: I have, but it didn't work out very well. NaNo gave me the motivation to get it finished.

Richard: Yep. I have a couple under my belt. My first, Adventureworld, dates from when I was in 8th grade, about 1982. It's pretty awful. I have another from 1999, LTM, that I never finished.

Colonia: Not really. I've written random fanfictions here and there, and I did write this pretty weird story called The Magic Book when I was in the second grade, but I'd never considered attempting anything that could be considered a novel until I heard about NaNoWriMo.

April: I've completed a few rough drafts, starting in eighth grade, and one novel is finished except for final revisions and editing.

Teresa: I've started one that I haven't yet finished. I think I write in real time - the novel will span 30 years and I'm in about my 5th year of it.

Sara: Always dreamed of attempting, yes. Actually attempted, no. The perfect candidate for NaNo.


MF: What made you want to do NaNoWriMo?


Anne: I knew I had a novel ... or 2 or 6 in me, but I could never manage to finish. I'd just re-write the same chapters over and over. When I heard about NaNo, I thought a word count and a deadline to shoot for would help me finish. And it did.

Richard: The challenge and the opportunity to actually FINISH something. I'd had ideas for novels running around in my head for years that I had never done anything with. NNWM forced me to commit. Just like Anne, I guess.

Colonia: Well, I've always wanted to write a novel, and it seemed like sort of a fun thing to do. I always love doing those crazy things that nobody in their right mind would think are at all possible, which is why I was so attracted to NaNoWriMo.

April: I've been working on the same story on and off since 1995, and wanted to write a second. This is motivating me to take a break from editing and actually get it written.

Teresa: My daughter and her friend signed up to do it and after hearing my daughter discuss it, I decided to give it a go.

Sara: The camaraderie with other people trying to do the same challenge at the same time, as well as the deadline that helps me make the challenge a priority in my life for a while.