NaNoWriMo

In a few weeks, one of my favorite writing events of the year rolls around: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I know quite a few writers who are going to participate and *hopefully* I'll be joining them.

What is NaNoWriMo? It's an organization (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) and an event, a time when writers around the world collectively commit to writing a ridiculous number of words in a single month. People come to it with different hopes. Some just want to see if they can write a book. Some see it as a contest. Some enjoy the encouragement and camaraderie--there are in-person write-ins one can join to meet with other writers on the same journey. Some want a deadline to motivate their creativity and energy.

You'd be surprised what people can accomplish in a month.

The most successful enter the month with a plan. For me, it's not about competition or even the camaraderie (although it's cool to think of all those other writers working out there). For me, it's about setting aside some time to write the project I haven't gotten around to writing. I wrote my current project-in-revision, Juggling the Keystone, during NaNoWriMo. This time around, I'm hoping to use the month to write a book I've been kicking around in my head since February.

Anyone else going to participate? Happy writing to you!

Cheryl

PS--Image courtesy of NaNoWriMo.org