How to Participate

So you want to do NaNoWriMo . . . Now what?

Here’s how you can participate as well as take advantage of what Moraine Valley has to offer:

Decide to do it! NaNoWriMo is all about generating writing. We try to reach 50,000 words during the month of November. Many of those words won’t be amazing, by the way—but many will! NaNoWriMo is about building a writing habit and community. So if you want a piece of that, say yes!
Sign up to be a part of the Moraine Valley community Wrimos at bit.ly/mvccnanowrimo. We want to be able to reach out and collect participant’s word counts; we think that will be very motivating to share!
Sign up officially at NaNoWriMo.org (or YWP.NaNoWriMo.org if you’re under 18. On the “How It Works” page you’ll find a simple step-by-step which involves:
- Creating a username.
- Giving your novel or project a name.
- Choosing a region (we are part of the USA – Illinois – Chicago )
Join us for workshops to plan your novel, and the kick-off party on Thursday, Oct. 30.
Starting Nov. 1, get writing! Write where you want, using whatever apps or software you like. Every day, on your NaNoWriMo.org account, there’s a simple tool to log in how many words you wrote:

Once you’ve logged in, click on the plus sign to the left of your username.

You will then have the option to update your progress

It’s okay if you don’t write every day, but it’s easier to reach your goal if you do. NaNoWriMo operates on the honor system; this is about you pushing yourself. It’s not a contest.

Throughout November, use our support systems! Moraine Valley is an official Come Write In location, meaning you can come to the library and find spaces that fit your needs so you can sit and write. We’ll also have special Write Ins—essentially, writing parties—where we all write together in a big room with food, prizes, and support.

When it’s over, come to the wrap-up party. We’ll celebrate the word counts we generated and have prizes to give away.

Sheryl Bundy

Co-Director of Speaking and Writing Center
Associate professor, Communications, Moraine Valley Community College

“While anyone can participate in National Writing Month on their own, what makes the event special is meeting others who write and finding support from those relationships. Providing time and space for writers to write is one way to both encourage them and help them achieve the goal.”

Tish Hayes

Information Literacy librarian

“As a partner in bringing NaNoWriMo to campus, the Library values the opportunity to provide a place where writers can find resources and research support as they develop their writing plans, and help them meet their creative goals.”