Start writing a novel tomorrow.

In 2011, I wrote a novel during the month of November.  Was it a finished product on November 30?  No.  Heck no.  Was it good?  Probably not.  But for the most part, it was an enjoyable experience, and I learned as much about writing as I’ve ever learned in a writing course.  I wish I had done this twenty years ago.

The incentive to do this was the National Novel Writing Month project found at NaNoWriMo.org.  They describe their project like this: 

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 p.m. on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel. 

I did not participate in 2012 (though 341,375 did participate and finish).  I was still revising my 2011 effort.  I think I will start a new novel tomorrow, an exercise that probably won’t go past November 30.  It will be like taking a month to attend an intensive writing class.  Everyday, I will log onto the NaNoWriMo website and record the number of words I write that day.  They will turn this into a bar graph charting my progress and showing me how close to the day’s target I am.  To complete 50,000 words in thirty days, I will need to write an average of 1667 words daily.  I’m not quite as committed to the effort this year as I was in 2011, but I think I’ll do it. I recommend it to anyone who’s ever thought of writing a novel or anyone who is interested in the writing process.  Go to http://nanowrimo.org and sign up.