The NaNoWriMists
Merit badge received with thanks from the Upgrade Angels, NaNoWriMo 2006
NaNoWriMo began in 1999, when a group of twenty-one optimistic would-be novelists got together, binged on caffeine, hammered out a few thousand words and realised they were onto something.
Since then, their bright idea has snowballed in a way that no one could possibly have anticipated. Nowadays nearly 200,000 people battle writer's block through the dreary month of November in an attempt to reach the finish line of 50,000 words. Last year they managed a collective and breathtaking 2,427,190,537 words. That is one word for every three people on the planet. That's a lot of words.
Writing.com is exactly the kind of place where the thought of
NaNoWriMo can send people into an excited frenzy. The NaNoWriMists has existed since 2006 to support those excited people - and if you're one of them, then why wait? Join us now, get excited, and you'll soon be writing as you've never written before!
To join, just fill out the "
Application Form for The NaNoWriMists"

and you'll be added to the group. There are no entry requirements and anyone can join, irrespective of Writing.com membership status or account age or anything else!
Members can access "
The NaNoWriMists Writing Forum"

, which really comes alive during the months of September, October, November and December when people are starting to get excited about their NaNovel, or regrouping after the mania of November.
http://www.nanowrimo.org
When this group is full, members will be added to "
The NaNoWriMists 2011 (II)"

. There is no difference between the two groups.