NaNoWriMo FAQ

National Novel Writing Month

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month is an organization that helps people to write a novel in the month of November. Many people want to write a novel, but never do it. This program gives students and adults the motivation and ideas on how to do it.

How does it work?

You set a word count goal and then write for the entire month of November. You can’t start early, but you can keep working on it after November.

How do I set a word count goal?

Past students of mine have set goals from 3,000 to 10,000 and have written between 2,000 and 20,000 words. To help you set a reasonable goal, round the length of your short story to the nearest hundred and then multiply by three or four.

For example: Short story length = 857 words, rounded = 900 900 * 3 = 2,700 900 * 4 = 3,600

So, this student’s goal could be between 2,700 and 3,600.

What kind of novel can I write?

You can write any type of fiction. It should be appropriate for your classmates and family to read.

Where do I write my novel?

We will be using Google Drive. After school, you can use computers at home, the library, tablets, and smart phones (download the Google Drive app).

How do I win? Do I get anything for winning?

You “win” by reaching your word count goal in November. If you win, you will get a coupon for five free copies of your book from createpace.com. mrpickett.com has directions for publishing your novel.

What if I don’t reach my word count goal? How do I get graded?

Your word count goal will not affect your grade. At the end of November, you will select a 500-1,000 word excerpt of your novel to revise and edit. Mr. Pickett will grade that excerpt.

What happens to our novels when we finish?

We will continue working on the novels over the winter. The final, edited version will be due January 15. The class will select a title and design the cover for a class anthology. Then, Mr. Pickett will publish it and you can purchase a copy.

Will we really be published on Amazon? Will we make money from it?

Yes. No.

Will Mr. Pickett be participating? Can I read his novel? Is it about a kid that keeps getting kicked out of school because he can’t stop talking?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Is there free stuff?

Yes. You will get stickers to chart your progress and a button.