One book, one month

For many, November is the month of turkeys, early holiday shopping and excessively scruffy facial hair. For people drawn to the crafting of words, November is also the month to begin or further their literary careers.

November presents a challenge to authors all over the world in the form of National Novel Writing Month, known as NaNoWriMo.

Participants in the event are challenged to compose an entire novel in 30 days and each novel must contain a minimum of 50,000 words.

The task of NaNoWriMo may sound simple, but anyone involved can tell you it proves to be more difficult than anticipated. If a writer intends to stay on schedule, the suggested word quota is 1,600 words per day.

As an author, this challenge is both a blessing and a nightmare. I, along with a couple of friends who are also participating this year, stayed up the night of Oct. 31, anxiously awaiting midnight with only our writing supplies and a vague idea of our plots.

As one can imagine, staying on top of the daily word quota is difficult, especially when factors such as school and work come into play. Each year, many participants don't reach the finish line, but there are an increasing number of people who find it within themselves to crank out a full-length novel in only 30 days.

The organization's website offers numerous ways for participants to communicate with other writers, submit their work and find more information about the challenge.

All who complete the challenge are declared winners and receive a web badge and certificate. There are no real prizes, but for most, the feeling of accomplishment and triumph is enough.

There are no judges, which is a big plus for a lot of the contestants. There aren't any worries about people plagiarizing a writer's work, either; when the month is over, all entries are erased from the website, never to be read again.

Because of that, there is no pressure from anyone except the writer, and I know that made a difference in my decision to take part in the experience. As anyone who's ever been judged knows, it's a lot easier to do something knowing the work isn't going to get torn down in the end.

Some people go on to have their novels published.  A few of these have even become national bestsellers, such as "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen, which was recently made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson.

The prospect of fame is a huge incentive for people like me who lack the motivation to write 1,600 words a day. The chance for my novel to become famous and made into a movie — that would definitely make the month worthwhile.

Even though the month has already started, it is not necessarily too late to participate. With a little bit of extra work, you can write a novel and create a legacy.

—Caitlin Arthurs is a freshman majoring in English.