Started in 1999 in San Francisco, the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) aims at promoting the art of writing and has gained popularity worldwide. A writing competition is held every November and this year's edition is already under way.
“The movement has been around for a decade but has caught on in India on a large scale only in the last three years. It has a huge following everywhere and we're hoping that participation will be more this year,” says Karthik Narayan, who won the competition last year.
NaNoWriMo participants have to pen a minimum of 50,000 words by the end of 30 days. The entries must have a cohesive storyline but the story needn't be finished. Extra time will be given till June to complete the novel, after which www.amazon.com, one of the partners of this event, will proofread and publish the book, and put it up for sale.
“Camps are held in all cities to attract participants and discuss the topics on which they are going to write. The Chennai NaNoWriMo camp will happen this weekend,” Karthik explains.
Karthik has been chosen the Indian Representative for the event this year. To participate or for further details, contact Karthik at 99620 70090 or visit www.nanowrimo.org.
