Big Giant Head

National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month

This is my first time giving the 30 day / 50,000 word challenge a go.

I know some people find success in this effort by crafting an outline beforehand.  Many have done it before and are very well aware of what’s involved.  Others, like me, are flying by the seat of their pants with not even so much as a theme or genre, knowing that success equals pumping out an average of 1,670 words a day.  Can’t think about it too hard though.  The words have to flow from me.  The story will take shape.

According to the folks at NaNoWriMo.org, there are 3 1/2 things to know about this competition:

1) It’s okay to not know what you’re doing. Really. You’ve read a lot of novels, so you’re completely up to the challenge of writing one.

2) Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it’s hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.

3) Tell everyone you know that you’re writing a novel in November. This will pay big dividends in Week Two, when the only thing keeping you from quitting is the fear of looking pathetic in front of all the people who’ve had to hear about your novel for the past month.

3.5) There will be times you’ll want to quit during November. This is okay. Everyone who wins NaNoWriMo wanted to quit at some point in November. Stick it out. See it through. Week Two can be hard. Week Three is much better. Week Four will make you want to yodel.

Well alright then. November 1st, it’s game on!