NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month

Yes, I've done it. I've signed up this year for NaNoWriMo. And no, it's not a new twist on the Mork & Mindy show and his well-known other-worldly phrase. Here are the details:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

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So, am I crazy? Wait a minute. Some of you don't answer that. :) I already know what you're going to say. But, considering that I wrote book 2 in 30 days and that was about 50,000 words *with* edits, I'd say I can write fluff and bad prose and make that goal.

But I can't do it alone, so I'm posting it here for everyone to see. Check in with me, encourage me, give me a good whack if you find out I'm slacking. LOL!

Is anyone else out there joining in the craziness? Let me know!

And now, I'm off to write!