NaNoWriMo

So this year I'm going to try the National Novel Writing Month in November.  For those of you that don't know, it's a month where you are challenged to write 50,000 words of a novel in one month.  Dang that's a lot of words!

I'm doing this mostly to have fun, but also to see if I can get something written.  It doesn't matter as much the quality, as long as the writing just gets done.  So I have an outline, character sheets, and a world and plot to go off of and in a couple of weeks I'll be cranking out as many words as I can every day between work and home life.  Whew!  We'll see how well I do!



I know there are some authors that like NaNoWriMo and some that don't.  I've been reading good things about it, about how it gives people the motivation to finally get something written out that they otherwise wouldn't.  But I've also heard that it spawns a lot of crap that gets thrown at editors and publishers, and sometimes they don't like it.

I've also heard, quite often, the whole "If you're a writer, it's NaNoWriLIFE not just one month!"  Which I totally get.  If I ever become a full time writer (which I, like thousands of others, would like to do) I know my job will be to sit in front of a computer and write, write, write.  Constantly.  I get that.  I'm a realist and understand being a full time writer isn't all butterflies and marshmallows and sometimes it totally sux because you have to pull something out of your mind every day, even if your mind is a pile of mush.  I really respect authors that can get a good book out and make a living writing more books and quit their jobs and get paid to write.  I think it's a life I'd like to have.  I know the chances of it are nearly nil, but that doesn't mean I won't try.

I also know that writing that first novel is a huge first step.  I work a full time job that is very demanding on time, I work an average of 45-50 hour work weeks.  This does not lend well to having six hours a day when I get off work to just type away at some book.  Most of the time when I'm done working I have plenty to do that does not allow time to write.  But I know the only way to become an author is to do the first step, which is write a gorram book!

NaNoWriMo gives me an excuse to focus on writing.  An excuse to give myself to time to write every day instead of pushing it aside and letting life get in the way.

So go me!  I'll keep people posted if I actually get things written and how far I am on this writing thing as the month goes on.  We'll see.  I'm excited!