November is National Novel Writing Month, often shortened to NaNoWriMo.
NaNoWriMo is a celebration that has expanded to an international level as aspiring novelists are challenged to meet a 50,000-word goal by the end of the month.
Participants sign up on the NaNoWriMo website, where they can track their progress, gain inspiration through pep talks from famous authors and interact with other writers in the NaNoWriMo community.
Hannah Pryor, senior in English literature, clocked in with her seventh year of participating in the challenge this November.
Pryor said the large word goal can be daunting at first, but is valuable once inspiration begins to flow.
"It forces you to write and holds you accountable to it," Pryor said. "Having a real deadline with a goal is a huge motivation."
She said school and finals can overshadow her progress at times, but she always loves doing NaNoWriMo, especially because of its sense of community.
Though she considers writing a solitary hobby, Pryor said she enjoys the way NaNoWriMo brings many writers together.
"We write late into the night, both at the library and in virtual meet-ups, and we cheer each other on as we each meet our daily goals," Pryor said. "I think that embodies the creative spirit of NaNoWriMo."
Zoe Tucker, junior in mechanical engineering, is participating in her third NaNoWriMo and said she decided to break the traditional rules of NaNoWriMo.
Instead of focusing on one novel, she is continuing other works she's written as well as working on multiple other pieces.
"I do NaNoWriMo partially just because it's something that my friends do," Tucker said. "It's fun, and it makes you part of a community, and at the end of it, you have something to be proud of."
Tucker said she believes the challenge is rewarding.
She said, however, the benefits of the experience are specific to each writer.
"NaNoWriMo is good for me because it gives me a little bit of motivation to get out of my engineering box," Tucker said.
Chantel Acevedo, associate professor of English and alumni writer-in-residence at Auburn, has published novels and poems.
Acevedo said she has participated in NaNoWriMo in the past, but never writes the entire month.
Nevertheless, she said she sees the value in participating.
"It's a wonderful tool to get started on a project, and get some serious words down," Acevedo said. "That's often enough to get you through a year of writing - building on what was started during November."
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