NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a creative writing project originating in the United States in which each participant attempts to write a fifty-thousand-word novel in a single month. The project was started by Chris Baty in July 1999 with 21 participants, and has been held annually in November since 2000. Despite the name, the project is now international in scope. In 2005, 59,703 people participated and 9,765 won.