November is already in full swing and in this month there are many reasons to celebrate! Before you know it, those of us in the United States will be spending quality time with our family and friends as we enjoy a delicious feast on Thanksgiving Day, and we’ll end that day gearing up for hours upon hours of shopping on Black Friday. After all, who doesn’t love a good deal?

But, for writers in particular, there’s even more reason to celebrate, because November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)!

NaNoWriMo is a month-long celebration of the art of writing, beginning on November 1 and lasting until 11:59 p.m. on November 30. This event offers writers everywhere a chance to be creative, and for 30 days that’s exactly what they’ll do!

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to encourage participants in the adult program to work toward writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. You read that right – they will write an entire novel in just one month!

Though it sounds like a daunting task, in 2013, more than 300,000 adults participated in the month-long event. That’s 300,000 people that were actively chasing after their book-writing dreams! How’s that for motivation?

NaNoWriMo shares a similar philosophy to Dorrance Publishing in that we both place a heavy value on stories. At Dorrance, we believe that everyone has a book inside of them, and we inspire and advise “everyday” people in developing their literary pursuits.

Along the same vein, NaNoWriMo is a non-profit group “that believes your story matters.” They show this through organized events for children and adults that allow them to find inspiration, encouragement and the structure that they need to realize their creative potential.

NaNoWriMo is just a few days underway, and we thought this might serve as a motivator for you to know that writers from all around the world are putting their thoughts onto paper right now, working their way toward making their dreams a reality.

So if you’ve been searching for that spark of motivation, look no further! Throughout the month of November, we’ll be celebrating National Writing Month in our own special way.

Stay tuned each week of this month for blog posts ranging from “How Tos” to writing tips and everything in between!

As always, happy writing, and here’s to a great National Novel Writing Month!