Writers, it’s that time of the year again.  NaNoWriMo (say that three times really fast) or National Novel Writing Month begins next month.  Do you have a novel locked inside and just can’t get it out?  Then NaNoWriMo is for you.  For those who know nothing about it, you spend 30 straight days pounding out a novel from beginning to end.  How do you write a novel in 30 days?  Well, badly of course.  The point is to get the idea out of you head and on the medium of your choice.  Organizers set the word minimum at 50,000 although you certainly are free to go over.  NaNoWriMo is not a contest in which you submit a story and win a prize although you do race to the 50,000 word finish line with yourself and/or writing buddies.  What you win is the satisfaction of having produced a draft novel.  It’s doable!  Just pledge to yourself to type 1,667 words a day and you’re there.

October is usually prep month in which writers mull over characters, solidify plots and prepare outlines.  But if you don’t have enough time and hate outlining, you can be a pantser but sitting down and writing free form through inspiration.  I’ve done it both ways.  Several years ago I started late and wrote a 30,000 word story starring Marion and Guy of Gisborne that was pure pantsing.   Two years later I used an outline for a 51,000 word psychological thriller.  With fine editing assistance, I posted the Guy story for Christmas that year on my blog.  However like most first drafts, the thriller was simply dreadful and has not seen the light of day.  Still, at its center is a good story.  So this year I will rewrite it into something hopefully readable and worth editing.

So join me at NaNoWriMo.org and let’s start writing!  If you have any questions and need more gentle *cough* persuasion, comment below.