NaNoWriMo

Ever hear of it?

National Novel Writing Month kicks off its annual November Book Writing event starting tomorrow. The goal is to write a complete novel, 50,000 words, in just 30 days.

I first heard about NaNoWriMo from a co-worker when I was living in South Carolina. I would have joined then, but it was probably November 20 or 21 when she told me about it...just a little late at that point. Last year I was busy working a brand new job in Virginia and didn't have the time. This is my year! I already have my plot, my characters (well, the framework of them...haven't fleshed them out completely) and my setting. Starting tomorrow, I write!

How can you write a novel in a month? Easy. Just start writing and don't stop until midnight, November 30. The key is, don't expect it to be perfect. Ignore your inner editor and just write. According to their website, "Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly."

I'm actually looking foward to this. I just finished my fourth writing assignment and will pretty much have this month off from that. Doing NaNoWriMo will help keep the creative juices flowing. I'm hoping it will also teach me some discipline, as that is something I lack from time to time. I don't know if I'll make the 50,000 word goal, but at least I will have tried. How many of us can say that?

I've added a word count meter below the NaNoWriMo icon on the right, just to let everyone know how I'm doing.

Wish me luck!