Participants' novels can be on any theme and in any Genre. They must be started no earlier than midnight November 1st and completed before midnight on the 30th, local time. Advance planning and notes are permissible, but no earlier written material can go into the body of the novels. Debate exists as to whether the ideal is to write a complete novel of fifty thousand words or to simply write the first fifty thousand words of a novel which may require more text to complete. Although the former is arguably more satisfying, and many participants aim to complete their plots just past the fifty thousand word mark, a fifty thousand word novel is not particularly long by the standards of published works and might be more accurately described as a Novella.
No prizes are awarded for exceptional length, quality, or speed. Anyone who successfully reaches the 50,000 word mark is declared a "winner." Beginning midway through the month, participants can submit their novel to be automatically verified for length and receive a printable certificate, an icon they can display on the web, and inclusion on the list of winners. No precautions are taken to prevent cheating; since the only significant reward for winning is the finished novel itself and the satisfaction of having written it, there is little incentive to cheat. For many participants, the related forums are an integral part of the whole endeavor, providing advice, information, criticism, support, and an opportunity for collective procrastination. There is also an IRC channel, #nanowrimo, found on the Goodchatting server, where participants can talk, socialize, brainstorm, or participate in word wars (short 5-30 minute writing races - the writer with the most words at the end of the time period wins).
To "win" NaNoWriMo, participants need to write an average of 1666 and 2/3 words per day, which is about four pages, single-spaced. This pace allows little time for revision or editing. Organizers of the event say that aim is simply to get people to start writing, using the deadline as incentive to get the story going and put words to paper. Those who wish to spend time editing and polishing the stories composed during NaNoWriMo may choose to follow it up in March with NaNoEdMo, or National Novel Editing Month.
This "quantity over quality" philosophy is summarized by the site's slogan: "No Plot? No Problem!" This is also the title of Chris Baty's book of advice for NaNoWriMo participants, published in the fall of 2004.