NaNoWriMo: What?

The end of October is always a time of great anticipation for me.  Each November, I embark on a crazy 30 days of writing called "NaNoWriMo."

NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month.  NaNo is a 30 day sprint to a 50,000 word novel. This year will be my fifth year of participating.

The rules are simple.  Write.  Do not edit.  Write some more.

I have successfully written 50,000 words in November the past two years.  One of my novels is completely finished, the other has a few thousand words left.  The first two years I tried, I was not able to hit my goal.  Then I found a secret weapon to the craziness...

Other writers.  I belong to the Central Iowa Writers, a group who meet during NaNo.  Nearly every night, they meet at some location in the Des Moines area (with ventures to Ames, Oskaloosa, Marshalltown etc) and have a write-in.  Write-ins are simply sitting together, each working on their own story.  Amazingly, we get a lot written during those sessions, and we still have a great time.

So, if you need something fun to do this November.  You enjoy a challenge, and are a bit crazy, try NaNo.  And if you try NaNo, make sure to attend a write-in - you'll have a blast and leave with about 5,000 words!