LA Becomes a Writers’ Playground in November

In a wine bar in downtown Los Angeles, a group of writers are immersed in their laptops, crafting their respective stories as they sip on half-full glasses of red. From a dining terrace adjacent to the Century City skyline, authors embark on a writing sprint, adding as many words to the page as possible in the span of 15 minutes.

A shopper walks into an Ikea showroom to find novelists at every desk, couch, and bathtub, entranced in their fictional worlds. She backs away with a bewildered look on her face.

In a library community room, a shovel travels from one writer’s story to another’s on a murderous rampage. Holed up in an Irish Pub, authors challenge themselves to write a mile’s worth of words (5280) over the course of one night.

Welcome to November: the month that Los Angeles turns into a writers’ playground.

Note: I’m personally familiar with the experience in LA, but NaNoWriMo is international, check out the website for info about events in your own region.

November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, where participants all over the world set out to write 50,000 words in one month. With such an ambitious goal, these writers write on a daily basis, dedicating virtually every free moment to their craft to stay on target with 1667 words per day.

As impressive as that is, what I think is most inspiring about NaNoWriMo isn’t the high word count, but the great sense of community among writers during this time.

I realized I wanted to be a writer in junior year of high school. That year, every book my English teacher Mr. Altenburg chose was an enlightening experience in what the written word could do. From The Scarlet Letter to Bright Lights, Big City―one of my favorite novels to this day―I saw this incredible ability to express ideas and feelings while immersing the reader in a fascinating story. I knew I wanted to do it myself.

Through the rest of high school into studying American Literature at UCLA, I learned all I could from the great writers of the past into today, how they crafted their stories through their choice of literary techniques, and about the various historical movements within literature. I loved modernism and postmodernism most because of the way they could bridge past our expectations of what a book could be with their imaginative techniques. I wrote a handful of short stories, developing my literary voice myself. I became editor of the queer newsmagazine on campus where I learned about the journalistic principles of writing, as well as editing, and design, all while getting a taste of deadlines.

Then I graduated. Wait, now what?

While most occupations have a well-lit paved path of development―a certain amount of education, internships, entry-level jobs, working hard to reach your goal at a company―the path of a writer is more like wandering through a dark forest where occasionally you can see a glimpse of the moon through a gap overhead in the throngs of trees. Until you reach your destination, you can’t really tell if you’re on a trail towards it or wandering in circles in the wilderness.

Events like NaNoWriMo remind us that we’re not alone in this. During November, writers gather to write in each other’s company on a daily basis in Los Angeles and many more cities.

Writing is often a solitary activity, but in November with thousands of writers united in dedication to their creative process, it becomes a whole other world. Writers take over coffee shops and libraries all over the city. Some write-ins get more creative with the setting like wine bars, a cafe at the Huntington, and the Annenberg Community Beach House. There are particularly unique events like the writing take over at Ikea and the Mile High Club 5280 word challenge. There are also a number of online write-ins, allowing one to join fellow writers at virtually any time of the day.

*The Huntington Library Botanical Garden 1919 Cafe Terrace. Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao.*

I first joined the NaNoWriMo community in November 2022. At the tail end of a year of searching for belonging and finding dead ends, I found a haven in gathering with fellow writers.

I haven’t participated in NaNoWriMo in the traditional way. There were previous years where I’d flirt with the idea of going after the 50,000 word goal early in November but soon realized that it didn’t align with my writing process. I know it can be very motivating for some, but everyone is different.

This year, with my realization that I’m neurodivergent (more on this in an upcoming article), I’ve realized how important it is to evaluate what really suits me individually and let go of norms that weren’t designed with my brain in mind.

NaNoWriMo also offers create-your-own path options. The website allows writers to opt out of the 50,000 words and set independent word count goals. For myself, I’ve found that I thrive with just a simple goal to write every day. Often, I start sessions with a very small aim in mind, such as writing for 15 minutes, because it makes it unintimidating to get started. And once I get going, it becomes much easier to extend that 15 minutes into longer frames of time. Once I get going, I often find that I don’t want to stop.

For me, when I let go of the pressure to write something good or to write a particular amount, and I just let myself create, my love of writing takes over, and the words flow.

In the spirit of choosing your own path, NaNoWriMo isn’t an event exclusive to novelists. Many participants choose to write something besides a 50,000 word novel. From memoirists to screenwriters to poets, these “Nano rebels” enrich the community.

Whether you’re following the NaNoWriMo challenge to the letter or striving for a personal goal, I’ve found that there’s a lot to enjoy about the event.

Beyond word counts and goals, which are theoretically possible all year round, why is NaNoWriMo such a motivating time for writers?

I think it’s because at its core NaNoWriMo gives us this: The permission to go all-in. To wake up early or stay up late to hit our goal for the day. To spend half our lunch hour on our novel. To meet up with fellow writers instead of zoning out at the TV at the end of the work day. It’s a challenge that allows us to prioritize our creative efforts perhaps the way we wish we could more often.

For more information on NaNoWriMo and the writing community in LA and beyond, here are some of my favorite groups and resources.

NaNoWriMo