NaNoWriMo

November 1st


No, my title isn't some grade school taunt. It stands for National Novel Writing Month. And I've decided to take the plunge and write a novel this month.

*Shouting comes from the background, "Are you crazy?! A novel in a month?! Have you completely lost it?"*

Okay, in order. Yes. Yes, or rather, at least 50,000 words towards one. And no -- I don't think I ever really had it.

That's the challenge -- to write at least 50,000 words (about 175 pages, or a rather short novel) before midnight of November 30th. It's not as crazy as it sounds. I regularly crank out 1,000 to 1,500 words in 90 minutes for a flash challenge -- and that's starting completely from scratch, with no idea what the trigger, plot, etc. will be until I start. (Anyone interested in trying the flash challenges, swing by Liberty Hall in my links list to find out more -- but don't try to register without a reference.) To "win" NaNoWriMo, I only have to average a little less than 1,700 words of the same story each day.

"Why now?" you may ask. And the reason is that I have become aware that if I don't do it now, I may never do it. I think I have the skills to write a novel now, but if I don't put myself in a position where I have some sort of accountability and pressure to complete it, I probably never will. I've learned an awful lot about people and communicating with people through my study and practice of short fiction. I expect to learn more still through NaNo.

So what is my story? That's a good question. Maybe I'll let you know when I've actually got a little of it written, enough to have decided things like, "What genre is this, anyhow?" So I guess I should go do a couple things and start writing!

I'll occassionally post my wordcount here to give myself a little more accountability. Incidentally, my wife has been working on a little more sensible program with a much smaller group that intends to write a novel (or the requisite 50,000 words) over the course of three months. This is her last month, so we've got a little friendly competition going, a race to the finish line. You can check in on her progress at her space, www.spaces.msn.com/members/joyspleasure/.

So sign my guestbook and cheer me on!