NaNoWriMo is the abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month, a writing challenge annually held in November. 2015 is the 17th year this challenge will take place. It began in July 1999 when 21 writers met to write their novels in a month. From there it exploded into a nonprofit organization with writing camps, challenges, and seminars in all months of the year. It even has a Youtube channel, podcasts, and a Twitter account for inspiration.

So why give up your November (or any other month of the year, for that matter) to expend blood, sweat, and tears on writing 50,000+ words?

Community. Bob Jones has a NaNo community, with students of all grade levels and several teachers participating and offering advice to each other. The NaNoWriMo community spans the world, with people from Huntsville to Hong Kong and everywhere in between participating. Many famous novels have been written as part of a NaNoWriMo challenge, including The Night Circus, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Fangirl, and Water for Elephants.

Fun. “I love to write, but I tend to write too many things, so it’s nice to just focus on one work for a month and get as far as I can writing it.” says Sarah Patton, a senior.

Motivation. Brenna Kilpatrick, a sophomore, admits that writing is tough. “I like [NaNoWriMo] because it actually makes me just sit down and write.” She is currently behind on her word count, but that doesn’t keep her from smiling, gritting her teeth, and writing more.

Mrs. Panagos, the Creative Writing teacher, weighed in on the subject of NaNoWriMo, saying, “Tasking yourself with writing each day requires a great deal of self-discipline, but that is also how you get better. NaNoWriMo is great for encouraging young writers (and old writers, too) to tell their stories.” Mrs. Panagos’s classes have not participated in NaNoWriMo in the past, but several students in each of her classes have participated. “Not every writer considers himself or herself a novelist.”