Who will read my novel when I'm done?
Anyone you want. Last year, some people swapped novels afterwards and it was a hoot. But it's entirely up to you. No one will read your novel until you're ready for them to.

Do you edit or publish the finished products?
We'd love to be able to publish everyone's work, but our connections to the publishing world end at Kinkos. There has been talk about putting portions of finished novels up on the site. But that would only be with your permission.

Does NaNoWriMo own to the rights to novels written during November?
Nope. All words are yours and yours alone. Novels emailed in at the end of the month for word count verification are deleted, unread, after being verified.

How many novels have been written through NaNoWriMo?
Six the first year, twenty-nine the second. We're still waiting on all the results of 2001, but it looks like over 700 novels were written.

When do I start writing?
At 12:00:01 local time on Thursday, November 1.

Do I have to be American to sign up?
No way. Dubious fiction writers from all nations are invited to participate.

How do you win? Are there judges? What are the prizes?
The way to win NaNoWriMo is by writing 50,000 words by midnight on November 30. Every year, there are many, many winners. There are no "Best Novel" or "Quickest-Written Novel" awards given out. Everyone who participates, regardless of final word count, is invited to the San Francisco decompression party on December 1.

Can I use NaNoWriMo to complete a novel I've already started?
No. No works in progress allowed. You have too much invested in them. Give yourself the gift of a clean slate. 

Can anyone participate in NaNoWriMo?
No. People looking to write classy, complex novels should not participate. People looking to get extensive feedback and people who take their writing very seriously should also go elsewhere. Everyone else, though, is warmly welcomed.

Will participants meet each other?
This year participants all over the world got together on a regular basis to steal plots and complain about the writing process. We think this is great, and try to facilitate it in the Bay Area by having a kick-off barbecue and month's-end party.

How can I get in touch with writers in my area?
The NaNoWriMo Yahoo club and chat room is a great place to plan rendezvouses and write-ins in your area. At some point after you sign up, you will receive an invitation to join the club.

Can I share writing duties with a partner?
No. That sort of collectivist spirit got the Soviet Empire where it is today. This is America. Write your own novel.

Can I sign up using a nom de plume? Or sign up just using my first name?
This is a hard one. On the one hand, it doesn't really matter what you call yourself. On the other, though, it's kind of cool to have a writing community free of the distancing use of pseudonyms and aliases. So everyone's encouraged to use real first and last names. It makes everything it a little more chummy. And we like chummy.

If you aren't comfortable using your real name for whatever reason, though, don't. And if you are a celebrity writer or rock star in disguise, please make yourself known to the nanowrimo staff so we can hound you mercilessly for autographs and free product.

Can I use NaNoWriMo to write a screenplay?
No. Screenplays are great, but outside the scope of NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is a forum exclusively committed to the timely production of crappy novels. Wait and write your crappy screenplay in December.

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