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They share the month of November!

Although most people know November as “No Shave November” or simply “Noshavember,” the month before December is also designated, somewhat more officially, as National Novel Writing Month.

San Francisco native Chris Baty came up with the idea for National Novel Writing Month, or “NaNoWriMo,” in 1999 with the goal of encouraging ordinary people to write a novel (which he defines as 175 pages or 50,000 words). It was originally held as a local event during the month of July, but the next year brought a change in both time and location: NaNoWriMo moved to November and got a website.

NaNoWriMo would be more accurately called “IntNoWriMo,” as it has exploded in popularity over the past ten years and is now celebrated worldwide thanks to its online location. Participants can use the website to upload their novel for the world to see, and novel-writing enthusiasts can volunteer as “municipal liaisons” to set up writing groups in their area.  

The website is completely free to use, and nobody is going to throw a tantrum if you don’t reach the 50,000 word mark. But if you do, you’ll be able to call yourself a novelist for the rest of your life – even if what you wrote was a total crapshow.

Oh, and the best part? You don’t have to be able to grow facial hair to participate.