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Ever imagined writing a 50,000 words novel within 30 days?

Well, thousands of writers every year participate in a program called National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and quite amazingly, they manage to finish a 50k words novel within 30 days.

Maybe the time has come for you as well to stop giving excuses and actually get down to writing that novel that you've been procrastinating since forever. Because November is National Novel Writing Month, a time when thousands of writers get started on writing the 'Great Frantic Novel', a work of fiction that must contain at least 50,000 words; the deadline is 30th Nov.

NaNoWriMo is an interesting program that encourages authors to get started on writing their novel, it brings enthusiasm that comes from the comfort of knowing that there are thousands of other writers struggling to pen down a novel within a stipulated period of time. All you need to do is sign up with NaNoWriMo.com and get started.

"Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved." shares their website.

This humble program goes back to 1999 when 21 aspiring authors got together to create an event that leads to binge-writing.

"The very first NaNoWriMo took place in July, 1999, in the San Francisco Bay Area. That first year there were 21 of us, and our July noveling binge had little to do with any ambitions we might have harbored on the literary front. Nor did it reflect any hopes we had about tapping more fully into our creative selves. No, we wanted to write novels for the same dumb reasons twentysomethings start bands. Because we wanted to make noise. Because we didn’t have anything better to do. And because we thought that, as novelists, we would have an easier time getting dates than we did as non-novelists.

So sad. But so, so true. 

The first year’s trials and tribulations are laid out in the introduction to No Plot? No Problem!, but the short version is that our novels, despite our questionable motives and pitiful experience, came out okay. Not great. But not horrible, either. And, more surprising than that, the writing process had been really, really fun."

They've come a long way since 1999. Last year, there were 256,618 participants, out of which more than 36,000 managed to pen down a 50k words novel. "They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists." shares NaNoWriMo.

If your hard-work and creative streak sticks with you for 30 days, then you can upload your novel with NaNoWriMo before midnight of 30th Nov; if you manage to do this, then in my book you're a winner already.

The program has already played a huge role in helping a huge list of authors getting their work published.

Since this is the age of social networking, NaNoWriMo makes sure that they keep their writers motivated and on their toes using the power of Twitter. They've started a concept called 'Word Sprints' (@NaNoWordSprints). Within a time period that can range from 5 mins to 1 hour, writers are asked to write frantically without taking a break. Here's what Sarah Mackey, from NaNoWriMo's liaison community shared with Mashable:

"The sprint leader gives people warning that a sprint is about to start, tells them how long the sprint will last, and offers an optional writing challenge for those who might be a little stuck and need a suggestion for something to write about. The focused writing time is remarkably effective, and having that virtual community writing alongside you is another great motivation.”

Since, a few days have already been lost, maybe it's a good idea to get started right away. So, put on your pajamas, grab your coffee mug and start writing and keep going till you've achieved your goal.

All the best!