NaNoWriMo Terminology
NaNoWriMo is, like, three days away. :O
Today I will be giving a list of NaNoWriMo terms you ought to know! This list has is generally organized by most important to least important. If you've participated in NaNoWriMo before, you're probably already aware of some of these terms. But hopefully everyone will find something new that they didn't know before!
-NaNoWriMo. Hopefully all the participants know that NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and that it takes place in November. 50,000 is the set word count goal. Some argue over the pronunciation (some still say NaNo"ree"Mo instead of NaNo"rie"Mo). This is also often shortened to Nano as well.
-Camp NaNoWriMo. This is a program similar to NaNoWriMo, but instead it takes place in the spring or summer months (the last few years, it's been taking place in both April and July). It's less strict than normal NaNoWriMo in that participants can choose their own word count goals, and can even write non-novel projects, such as poetry or a script.
-NaNoWriMo YWP. This stands for NaNoWriMo Young Writer's Program. This is another event, taking place in November, but it's strictly for people under 18. They can choose their own word counts and get their own kid-friendly website (which was redone this year, and looks awesome).
-NoWD. This is the Night of Writing Dangerously, an annual event held in California. It always takes place sometime during NaNoWriMo, and it's basically just a fun night of writing, eating candy, prizes, and costumes.
-Word Wars. A word war is a competitive timed challenge in which writers try to write as much as they can in that amount of time (such as ten minutes, one hour, or one day). Word wars are usually done in groups (writers try to write more words than their opponents) in person, or online. Also, word wars can be done alone using a timer.
-Word Sprints. Word sprints are essentially the same thing as a word war, but some people consider them less competitive. However, the terms are usually used interchangeably.
-Prompt. A short phrase or sentence that generates an idea for a writer's novel.
-Virtual Write-In. This is an online live stream (usually on Youtube) that NaNoWriMo puts on for its users. They usually last one hour, and in that time, prompts are given out, word sprints are held, and a fun live chat is held. This is just a fun time for writers to get together and get some writing done.
-#NaNoPrep. NaNo Prep is the month of October, in which participants begin outlining their novels and preparing for November. It has also become a popular hashtag on Twitter.
-Blobby. Blobby is a green dinosaur (or lizard if you're being stubborn), and NaNoWriMo's official mascot. He is always present at the Virtual Write-Ins. Many hashtags have been made about him, including #clawlessandflawless (shout-out to Dingbat Dollface) and #blobby2k16. :D
-Writing Buddy. NaNoWriMo's equivalent of a Facebook friend.
-NaNoCorn. NaNoCorn is the unofficial mascot of Camp NaNoWriMo and a rarely seen but very popular character in NaNoWriMo history. NaNoCorn is very popular with Virtual Write-In attendees, despite being less than a year old.
#Sprompt. The #sprompt hashtag began a few years back at (yet again) another Virtual Write-In. One of the interns (I believe it was Tim?) accidentally said "sprompt" instead of "prompt" during the write-in, and everyone caught on. Since then, #sprompt has grown immensely in popularity, and if you ever attend a Virtual Write-In and someone uses #sprompt, you will now know what it is and be able to join in. :D
-Wrimo. A Wrimo is someone who participates in NaNoWriMo or any of NaNoWriMo's programs.
-Viking Helmet. The viking helmet has been NaNoWriMo's logo for as long as I can remember.
-The Traveling Shovel of Death. The only murder weapon you will even need when participating in NaNoWriMo. Have a character you find particularly annoying or irrelevant? Simply kill them off with the Traveling Shovel of Death.
-Survival Kit. A list/kit of everything you need to survive Nano. Click here to read my blog post about Survival Kits.
-Plot Bunny. Plot bunnies are story ideas that refuse to go away until they are written.
-Pep Talk. Emails sent out periodically to help encourage Wrimos.
-Pantsing. A style of #NaNoPrep that involves basically no preparation whatsoever. This is the "flying by the seat of your pants" method, as apposed to plotting.
So what are some important terms you didn't know until you were introduced to NaNoWriMo? Let me know down in the comments, I always love hearing from you guys!! See you next week. :)
Today I will be giving a list of NaNoWriMo terms you ought to know! This list has is generally organized by most important to least important. If you've participated in NaNoWriMo before, you're probably already aware of some of these terms. But hopefully everyone will find something new that they didn't know before!
-NaNoWriMo. Hopefully all the participants know that NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and that it takes place in November. 50,000 is the set word count goal. Some argue over the pronunciation (some still say NaNo"ree"Mo instead of NaNo"rie"Mo). This is also often shortened to Nano as well.
-Camp NaNoWriMo. This is a program similar to NaNoWriMo, but instead it takes place in the spring or summer months (the last few years, it's been taking place in both April and July). It's less strict than normal NaNoWriMo in that participants can choose their own word count goals, and can even write non-novel projects, such as poetry or a script.
-NaNoWriMo YWP. This stands for NaNoWriMo Young Writer's Program. This is another event, taking place in November, but it's strictly for people under 18. They can choose their own word counts and get their own kid-friendly website (which was redone this year, and looks awesome).
-NoWD. This is the Night of Writing Dangerously, an annual event held in California. It always takes place sometime during NaNoWriMo, and it's basically just a fun night of writing, eating candy, prizes, and costumes.
-Word Wars. A word war is a competitive timed challenge in which writers try to write as much as they can in that amount of time (such as ten minutes, one hour, or one day). Word wars are usually done in groups (writers try to write more words than their opponents) in person, or online. Also, word wars can be done alone using a timer.
-Word Sprints. Word sprints are essentially the same thing as a word war, but some people consider them less competitive. However, the terms are usually used interchangeably.
-Prompt. A short phrase or sentence that generates an idea for a writer's novel.
-Virtual Write-In. This is an online live stream (usually on Youtube) that NaNoWriMo puts on for its users. They usually last one hour, and in that time, prompts are given out, word sprints are held, and a fun live chat is held. This is just a fun time for writers to get together and get some writing done.
-#NaNoPrep. NaNo Prep is the month of October, in which participants begin outlining their novels and preparing for November. It has also become a popular hashtag on Twitter.
-Blobby. Blobby is a green dinosaur (or lizard if you're being stubborn), and NaNoWriMo's official mascot. He is always present at the Virtual Write-Ins. Many hashtags have been made about him, including #clawlessandflawless (shout-out to Dingbat Dollface) and #blobby2k16. :D
-Writing Buddy. NaNoWriMo's equivalent of a Facebook friend.
-NaNoCorn. NaNoCorn is the unofficial mascot of Camp NaNoWriMo and a rarely seen but very popular character in NaNoWriMo history. NaNoCorn is very popular with Virtual Write-In attendees, despite being less than a year old.
#Sprompt. The #sprompt hashtag began a few years back at (yet again) another Virtual Write-In. One of the interns (I believe it was Tim?) accidentally said "sprompt" instead of "prompt" during the write-in, and everyone caught on. Since then, #sprompt has grown immensely in popularity, and if you ever attend a Virtual Write-In and someone uses #sprompt, you will now know what it is and be able to join in. :D
-Wrimo. A Wrimo is someone who participates in NaNoWriMo or any of NaNoWriMo's programs.
-Viking Helmet. The viking helmet has been NaNoWriMo's logo for as long as I can remember.
-The Traveling Shovel of Death. The only murder weapon you will even need when participating in NaNoWriMo. Have a character you find particularly annoying or irrelevant? Simply kill them off with the Traveling Shovel of Death.
-Survival Kit. A list/kit of everything you need to survive Nano. Click here to read my blog post about Survival Kits.
-Plot Bunny. Plot bunnies are story ideas that refuse to go away until they are written.
-Pep Talk. Emails sent out periodically to help encourage Wrimos.
-Pantsing. A style of #NaNoPrep that involves basically no preparation whatsoever. This is the "flying by the seat of your pants" method, as apposed to plotting.
So what are some important terms you didn't know until you were introduced to NaNoWriMo? Let me know down in the comments, I always love hearing from you guys!! See you next week. :)
I did not know about pretty much all of these. =) I like this Traveling Shovel of Death you speak of. I keep one with me at all times.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I feel much more informed about NaNoWriMo, which is probably good because it starts in a few days and I'm still clueless. =)
So glad you found this helpful, Hannah!! Yes, the Traveling Shovel of Death is awesome. =)
DeleteI would recommend watching the Virtual Write-Ins on Thursdays if you find the time. They are incredible.
Thank you for commenting! It always means so much. =)