“NaNoWriMo is all about the magical power of deadlines. Give someone a goal and a goal-minded community and miracles are bound to happen. Pies will be eaten at amazing rates. Alfalfa will be harvested like never before. And novels will be written in a month.”
As confused as I was by that crazy jumble of letters? Be confused, no more, but join me in marking the start of National Novel Writing Month. November may be the month of hitting the polls and tuning into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but for over 100,000 people, it’s also the month in which to hammer out 50,000 words of a novel.
No joke, this is a real organization that’s been around for over ten years. The “What” of this ordeal is quite straightforward: “Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.” But it’s the answers to “Why” that I loved:
“The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.”
I’m not sure if my travel writing thesis counts as a “novel,” but I’m tempted to get a head start on next summer and join in on the fun that’s taking place right now…
Photo used courtesy of Pens Fatales.
Just love this! What a creative title. This must be why Harlequin is hosting a novel contest this month. Get writing — can’t wait to read those 50,000 words.
That definitely must be the reason…and yes! isn’t this amazing? I must have spent an hour last night reading about this group of people. So interesting (and how much do you love the graphics?!) Well, I better get cracking on those fifty thousand 🙂
I think you should go for it! Outside the box thinking is part of being a writer, isn’t it? You’re writing an outside the box novel!
Thanks for the support, Jen! I love the way you put that…I think I’ll have to give it a shot now 🙂