NaNo

I’m finally doing it. After years of hearing about it and shrugging it off as some silly little exercise… this year, I’m going to participate. Now, I know what you’re thinking:

“Andrew, you’ve already written a novel called The Man in the Box which will be available on Kindle for download on November 30th“

(Did you catch that?)

“And you’ve written another one called I Am the Lion, which will be out next year.”

That’s true too.

“So why are you trying this NaNoWriMo thing?”

Because as a writer, I want to push myself. Plus, I’d like to have another book written by the end of the year.

“That’s great,” you say. “But what the heck is NaNoWriMo?”

(Were you thinking all of that?)

National Novel Writing Month begins on November first. The goal is to write a fifty-thousand-word novel in just one month. No edits, no proofs, no corrections… just fly through and get your story told.

I used to be against this project because I believe in cultivating the art of storytelling and letting your ideas simmer and then slowly but surely mold those ideas into a seamless narrative that others can look at and appreciate all the time and effort that went into it. I still advocate for that, but I also realize many people have great stories to tell, but simply haven’t told them yet because they just haven’t gotten around to it because “Swamp People” has been consuming them or something.

Well, no more excuses, people. I’m going to be jumping into this crazy little endeavor right beside you, even in the midst of the oncoming holiday season, heated election, November birthday parties, and Thanksgiving togetherness, I’ll be at my computer dark and early each morning typing my 1,666 daily word-count.

I’m not going into this blindly. I’m preparing for my book now, doing my research, and noting plot lines that will help fuel the story. But the great thing about this contest is that you can write about virtually anything you want!

So, for you inspiring writers, I encourage you to take this challenge with me. And as Sarabeth suggested, I will be posting a link on here for you to list your samples and your blogs for others to find. Yup – free advertising!

So, buckle in and get ready. November will be quite a month. Visit nano for more information and to sign up. Dig down deep for that novel you’ve always wanted to write, start getting some notes together, and let’s embark on a really cool writing adventure together!

Oh, and did I mention? I haven’t seen the movie or read the book, but Water for Elephants was the winner a few years back, which is how it became so popular.

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