November 1, 2011

NaNoWriMo


Most of you do not know this, but I have always had a desire to write a novel.  I enjoy writing and think it would be a fun experience to write a story that potentially everyone could read.  Ideally the story would be published and sell well and I would be able to write a couple more books just for fun.  But I live in the real world and I know that the possibility of possibility of being published is slim (unless of course I self-publish) and that the possibility of the book selling well is even slimmer.  Nevertheless, I still have this desire to write a novel.

Because my love of writing is well known amongst my friends I have had a few of them ask me why I have not written a book.  My answer to then has always been I want to, but I am not ready to commit to it yet.  Once I commit to something I have this need (read: self-imposed obligation) to follow through.  A novel is a huge undertaking and I have never been truly ready for it.


Enter NaNoWriMo.  NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, which is the month of November.  The concept behind NaNoWriMo is to challenge would-be writers to actually complete a novel.  Writers have 30 days (Nov. 1 – Nov. 30) to write 50,000 words or roughly 175 pages.  Writers submit their pieces at the end of the month for a final word count, and anyone who completes the 50,000 word requirement is crowned a winner. 

During the month of November, writers are supposed to just write and anything and everything for their stories with NO editing (that is what December is for apparently).  There are “write-ins” where people get together and just write or brainstorm for their stories.  There is a website with encouragement and helpful hints.  There is a whole community for those who participate in the challenge.

50,000 words is a lot.  50,000 in 30 days is crazy … or is it?!  For those of you mathematically inclined, it breaks down to roughly 1,667 words a day.  It sounds kind of intimidating, but when I really think about that, some of my blog posts are over 1300 words … what’s a few hundred more really?

So in short, I have decided to participate in this year’s NaNoWriMo, and finally, finally commit not only to starting my novel but to finishing it … in a month.  What this means is that friends and family will need to be patient with me while I struggle through the plot and characters and act slightly like a recluse, especially as the deadline looms.  It also means that I will have less time for my blog, BUT I have already written several pieces that I plan to set up to post automatically on certain days so there should not be a long absence of postings. 

I am super excited about participating in NaNoWriMo, and who knows, maybe in a few years from now you will be reading my book in addition to my blog!

Participating in NaNoWriMo takes gumption!


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