National Novel Writing Month … I'm In!

Well. I did it. I signed up to participate in National Novel Writing Month, 2009. Should I be worried?

According to the “about page” on the National Novel Writing Month web site,

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.

This project is all about writing. Participants start with a blank word processing screen at midnight November 1 and write like crazy until midnight November 30. Those who accumulate 50,000 words or more are ‘winners’ and are posted on the appropriate pages at the NaNoWriMo web site, along with word count and the date of their accomplishment.

There are blogs and forums to motivate and encourage authors and would be authors during the process, as well as a place to upload novels and update word counts.

I was first made aware of NaNoWriMo last year when an artist friend who is also a writing friend invited me to participate. I took a look at my personal and professional workload at the time and decided I didn’t have the time to devote to another project. I later had cause to regret that decision, but thanks to my new friends at ChristianWriters.com and some shuffling of my schedules, I’ve decided it’s time to take the plunge.

So I just signed up!

Should I be worried?

I suppose I should be. With an art exhibit scheduled for this fall and the new works I need to paint for that; with two portraits in progress and with a summer of exhibits and events looming at the gallery, its frightening to consider adding yet another high-level challenge.

But one of the goals of NaNoWriMo is not to produce perfection; it’s to just produce. I think I can do that!

There is one thing that does cause some alarm, though. The goal for NaNoWriMo is one 175-page, 50,000 word complete novel. Complete! My experience has been that 50,000 is a good start. I don’t know that I can wrap something up in 50,000 words.

If you’re a writer and looking for something fun and scary to do in November, check out NaNoWriMo. If you’ve thought about trying your hand at writing, but thought it was too hard, check out NaNoWriMo. Who knows? You may end up having a lot of fun and have a finished novel to your credit. How cool would that be?

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I've been an avid looker-at of books since I was old enough to sit on Mom's lap and listen to the stories she read. Once I learned to read and discovered the school library, I read every horse story I could find. I must have read Walter Farley's Black Stallion series a dozen times during grade school. I still enjoy reading the adventures of the Black Stallion and Flame and all the rest. But Marguerite Henry, C. W. Anderson, Thomas Hinkle and anyone else who wrote a story about a horse was also on my to-read list. I couldn't get enough of them. Then I found Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and discovered another world; the world of mysteries! More recently Dick Francis has combined my love of horse stories with my love of mysteries with his series of books. Frank E. Peretti, Joel C. Rosenberg and other writers now fire my writing and story telling imagination. I am, as yet, unpublished. I write every day, maintain painting and writing blogs, painting journals, writing journals and a number of other writing endeavors. Along with other members of my church family, I've written devotions for Advent and Lenten devotional booklets. For a time, I wrote a monthly column for the Newton Kansan newspaper. I still enjoy a good horse story but I also enjoy a good mystery or cozy mystery, suspense and a little bit of action here and there, as well as literary works. I hope, Lord willing, to try my hand at each of those genres, but if you pressed me to tell you what my stories are about, I'm most likely to tell you they're usually a mix of political thriller and Old Testament prophecy. The Old Testament prophets had a lot to say to the people of their day. They have a lot to say to us, too. It's impossible to follow the news and read Old Testament prophecies and not make connections. Once a connection is made, a story is likely to take shape. The never ending wellspring of ideas is often delightful, frequently overwhelming and sometimes frightening. After all, I know what followed the prophecies of the Old Testament prophecies. Can we be far behind...?

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