National Novel Writing Month

I'm officially registered to be a part of this year's National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is something that I've wanted to do for awhile now. Last year, I was in the midst of planning a wedding (well, actually, La was), so I postponed. The year before was, "I'll do it next year." Yet, it's NaNoWriMo's vision to eradicate that exact attitude.

So here's the skinny on NaNoWriMo. Every November, this Oakland based non-profit organization holds an event that motivates people to write a 50,000 (175 page) novel in 30 days. They define novel as "a lengthy work of fiction." It's to get what's in, out. No worries about quality, just quantity. How many areas in life can you say that?

I can't explain it as well as they do on their FAQs and About page, so here's a few quotes from them:

• "Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together."
• "People who take their writing (and themselves) very seriously should probably go elsewhere. Everyone else, though, is warmly welcomed."
• "Novel writing is mostly a 'one day' event. As in 'One day, I'd like to write a novel.'"
• Aiming low is the best way to succeed.
• "NaNoWriMo is all about the magical power of deadlines. Give someone a goal and a goal-minded community and miracles are bound to happen. Pies will be eaten at amazing rates. Alfalfa will be harvested like never before. And novels will be written in a month."
• "The other reason we do NaNoWriMo is because the glow from making big, messy art, and watching others make big, messy art, lasts for a long, long time. The act of sustained creation does bizarre, wonderful things to you. It changes the way you read. And changes, a little bit, your sense of self. We like that."

So who's in with me? I'll be strictly focusing on word count for this first year of participation. Plot, character development, theme, blah blah blah is all peripheral. I can picture some of the people who read this as good candidates (*ahem* V). Let's get this novel writing shit done!

Register at http://www.nanowrimo.org/