National Novel Writing Month

I know that many of you write for fun, so I wanted to let you know about National Novel Writing Month. Each November, tens of thousands of writers from all over the world attempt a semmingly impossible feat: writing a 50,000-word novel in a single month. The Web site offers a forum that helps with research, as well as a cheering section for all participants.

I've participated in NaNoWriMo for the last three years, and I've "won" three years in a row. I've got three novels sitting in a drawer in various stages of rewrite, and this November I'll add a fourth. It's a lot of fun, and it's an incredible sense of accomplishment.

You might think you have no time to write that much, but you'd be surprised. My first year, I closed on my house on October 29. I spend the next month painting every room, watering the lawn daily, packing up my apartment, and moving into a new place, and I somehow still found time to crank out 50,000 words. If you put your mind to it, you can absolutely get this done.

Check out the Web site and read the FAQ. I'd love to have friends doing NaNoWriMo with me this year.