by: Vivian S

In July 1999, 21 people in the San Francisco Bay Area challenged one another to write 50,000 words in one month. Surprisingly, they found it fun and decided to continue on doing it. It has grown since then, with 394,507 people participating in 2017, in 646 regions.

National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, is a challenge that anyone can take on to write 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November. They have a website where you can sign up and make an account, and it tracks your progress and tells you how many words you should write each day to complete that goal. With the website, you can receive pep talks from other authors, get support, meet other writers online, find out about events in your area, and all around challenge yourself. NaNoWriMo awards badges that you can earn over the month for your achievements.

Some novels written over the course of NaNoWriMo have been published and become successful. Examples include Marissa Meyer’s Cinder and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.

NaNoWriMo is run by a non-profit organization that hosts other events as well. They have a Young Writers Program and a Camp NaNoWriMo. They used to do a script writing event, but they don’t do it any longer.

In the Young Writers Program, you can participate alone or in a classroom. You can set word count goals and work toward them. Educators can create online classrooms where they can keep track of student progress.

In April and July, Camp NaNoWriMo is hosted, and it is where you set your own word count goals and work toward them.

Even after November, you are still urged to continue to work on your NaNoWriMo novel. In January and February, they host “Now What?” months where you can work on revising and publishing your novel.

NaNoWriMo is an event that anyone can take on to put words on paper (or computer) and challenge themselves.

For more information, go to https://nanowrimo.org

No, I did not misspell October.

Inktober is a month long drawing challenge that takes place during October. The challenge is to fully complete one ink drawing every day from October 1st through the 31st. The challenge was created by Jake Parker back in 2009 to help artists develop their skills and get in the habit of drawing every day. There aren’t many rules, just draw and complete a full piece every day, and upload it onto Instagram or any social media platform.

Some people wonder why Inktober is a challenge. Why not just draw every day? What makes Inktober more challenging than “drawing every day” is that you must fully complete the drawing. Personally I draw every day, but most commonly the drawings are just sketches, and not inked and completed pieces.

How do you come up with an idea every day? On the official Inktober website there is a prompt list. The first prompt list was created in 2016. Each year the prompts change, although I have noticed many of the prompts tend to be fall/Halloween themed. There is a different prompt for every day, and although most people follow these prompts it is never required. Some groups also make alternative prompt lists. Feel free to come up with your own ideas, or only follow your favorite prompts!

Now, you’re probably thinking I’m crazy right now. Thirty one days of drawing? If a whole month is too much for you, people also do a “half-marathon” (One drawing every other day) or a “5k” (One drawing a week). There is also some confusion about which art supplies to use. Originally, the challenge was to do just black and white ink. Now, people do color as well, but the official rules suggest limiting the amount of color that you use to one or a few colors. People have also done calligraphy, lettering, watercolors, and more. If you do decide to participate this year (It’s not to late!) or in the future, just remember that you are the artist – do this challenge to help yourself and have fun!

For more information on Inktober, or to see what other people are drawing, check out Inktober.com, @inktober, #inktober, and #inktober2018.