NaNoWriMo 2014 Is Here! Your Map to the Month Ahead...

NaNoWriMo is officially here! The Map to the Month is an annual rundown of noveling notes to mark on your calendar. Commit these dates to memory and you’ll have nothing else to worry about in November—aside from, you know, writing 50,000 words.

If you’re just looking for the basics, try the How It Works page or our FAQ.  

November 1 At midnight in your time zone, start writing! After a vigorous scribing session, make your first word-count update (from the menu at the top of our site)…

November 2 After your second day of writing, spend some time exploring the NaNoWriMo community—from the forums, to your region, to our outposts on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

November 3 Did you know that NaNoWriMo has a Young Writers Program? Over 100,000 K-12 students and 2,000 classrooms will join you in the noveling challenge this year. (Yes, you can use the Dare Machine on their homepage.)

November 4 After a few days of writing, you might be looking for some support. You’re in luck! Author Scott Westerfeld will join us for a video pep talk at2:30 PM PST, and our NaNo Coaches and word sprinters should be in full swing on Twitter.

November 5 You want more support? Well, that’s what we’re here for. Our 2014 pep talkers should be keeping your inbox full of advice and encouragement. And, the indefatigable NaNo interns will lead a Virtual Write-In today (and every Wednesday) at 11:00 AM PST.

November 8 Join us for Double-Up Donation Day! It’s the perfect chance for you to double your word count while supporting our nonprofit. Starting at 6:00 AM PST, expect a full day of hourly prizes, live streams, and writing prompts.

November 10 It’s the highly official, highly important “Back Up Your Novel” Day. Be sure your work is well-saved and recoverable, whether by cloud, email, or external drive.

November 16 Here in San Francisco, it’s the Night of Writing Dangerously. If you can’t make it, look for similar novel-celebrating events in your region—or follow along virtually.

November 20 Winning starts today! If you’re at 50,000 words or more, click the trophy badge on your dashboard to start the validation process. (Be sure youorder a winner shirt to celebrate!)

November 22 Throughout the month, our local volunteers have been rooting you on. ML Appreciation Day is the time to say thanks: send a NaNoMail or start a thread in your regional forum.

November 23–30 We’ll keep this one simple: Write like crazy. (Then follow the winning directions above.)

Thanks for joining us for another November of boundless creativity. Remember: we’ll be with you every day along the way.