Join the 170,000 people who are taking up the challenge to write a novel during the month of November! National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is an event designed to get people writing -- as much as possible, for one month. As Danielle DeLisle, local coordinator of NaNoWriMo, says, “This is a way to get your ‘inner editor’ out of the way. Stop second-guessing yourself and just start writing.”

The goal is to write a 50,000-word fictional novel during the month of November. To help people through the process, several local organizations are sponsoring  “write-in” events to meet with others working on their novels. The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum will have two such events: Saturday, November 13 from 2 to 4 pm, and Saturday, November 20 from 2 to 4 pm. Boxcar & Caboose Bookstore in St. Johnsbury will host write-in get-togethers every Sunday evening in November from 5 to 7 pm (November 7, 14, 21, and 28).  And the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, Vermont, will host two events, November 12 and November 26, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm.

According to DeLisle, when the writers get together at any of these events, they will start by discussing how the writing is going. “How many words they’ve written so far, what stumbling blocks they may have reached…everyone will have a chance to weigh in on their progress,” says DeLisle. Then the group will settle down and write for a while, using other members of the group as a sounding board for ideas when necessary. Finally, the group will end with some people sharing some of their writing. “I’ll run a few “Word Wars,” says DeLisle. “That’s when people write for a set period of time, maybe ten minutes, and the winner is the one who has written the most words in that time.”

The focus is clearly on quantity rather than quality, according to the NaNoWriMo website. Setting a one-month period in which to draft a novel forces participants to get down to the business of writing, and worry about the polishing later.

At the end of November, all registered participants who have written at least 50,000 words will receive a certificate from the NaNoWriMo group. But the most important outcome for all the participants is the writing, and the experience of meeting with and talking with other writers who are working on their novels.

Anyone can get started by checking the NaNoWriMo website and signing up. DeLisle recommends looking for the “Vermont” group, where participants will be posting comments and conversations on the forums.

“We have a good mix of people who are participating in the area this year,” says DeLisle, including several teenagers who are excited to try to write a whole novel. Everyone is treated as a peer, which I think is great to boost the self-confidence of our younger writers in particular.” DeLisle encourages people to join the process throughout the month, and can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . "You don't have to be part of National Novel Writing Month to come write with us," says DeLisle. "Come to any of the 'write-in' events if you want to meet other writers, talk about writing, and just write with other people."

The organization that sponsors National Novel Writing Month, the Office of Letters and Light, also sponsors free creative writing workshops and literacy events at schools. There is no fee for joining the month-long event, but some participants donate to the group in support of their outreach programs.

So, budding novelists, get writing! You have 30 days to write 50,000 words -- that’s only 1,667 words a day!

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