It is the end of October. Fall is in full swing. Snow is right around the corner or seventy degree weather if you live in Buffalo. (INSANE) And tomorrow kicks off one of the biggest writing events of the year. NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month starts at 12:01 tomorrow morning.
About NaNoWriMo
The event was first held way back in the dark ages of the twentieth century. 1999. No one felt like partying by November because the Prince song had been played to death all fudging year. Instead, a challenge was issued to the writing community. 30 days of writing. A 50,000 word count as the target. Go.
Since that time the event has grown so much that in 2015 there were over 431,000 participants on six continents. Not too shabby.
The NaNoWriMo organization has expanded as well. A non-profit since 2005 they now host a Youth Writers Program, helping students become writers as well as helping educators push their students in the field. Camp NaNoWriMo offers a community of writers to work with during their sessions in April and July of every year. Being able to bounce ideas and pitch story to better develop their own skills goes a long way to building up the confidence to put together a fully formed manuscript.
What does this mean for me?
I’ve always had mixed feelings on the program. I believe writing should be every month, every day, every hour you’re able. (Praise to you, o glorious nap time.) I understand it’s purpose. Now more than ever. Dedicating a single month to crafting a singular project, focusing on it completely, makes sense. It forces writers to push through everything holding us back. Anxieties. Doubts. Fear. Busy schedules. Every fault we find in ourselves. Every excuse not to express ourselves and share what we discover during the journey.
So I’m in.
Follow along.
Starting tomorrow morning I am in full drafting mode. From Chapter One to The End when November 30th creeps up on me out of nowhere. (It will too. Damn calendars.) 50,000 words is the NaNoWriMo challenge. Unfortunately, that won’t cover the novel I have planned. I’m looking more at 85,000 to 90,000 by the looks of my outlines.
I always was an overachiever.
What am I working on? What do you have to look forward to down the line, after a massive amount of editing?
The next full length Greystone novel. I call it The Medusa Coin. Here’s a sneak peek:
Death has come to Portents.
Three months after the Night of the Lights the city has changed. Detective Greg Loren struggles to find his place in the city, while Soriya finds her confidence shattered in an instant.
Something is wrong with the Greystone.
But there isn’t time to worry about it. A new menace stalks the streets, slaughtering innocents mercilessly. Who is controlling it? Who has found access to the mysterious Medusa Coin?
And what does it mean for the city?
Faced with an insurmountable challenge will Loren and Soriya be able to overcome this new threat or will they fall with the rest of Portents?
This one has been brewing in the back of my mind for a long time. I can’t wait to see it finally come together.
The Write Life Connection
The fine folks at The Write Life have asked me to blog about my NaNoWriMo experience over on their site. I hope to share some tips on how to prepare for the challenge, how to get great results with your daily word count and how to reward yourself along the way.
Donate today.
NaNoWriMo.org accepts donations to help run the annual challenge and promote writing worldwide. Find out more on their site.
Join in the fun.
It might be tomorrow but you can still join in the challenge. Have that dream novel waiting in the back of your mind? There is no better time to write it than NOW.
I’ll be sharing my progress as I go along. I hope you’ll do the same.
Thanks for reading. Go write something!
