So, how many of you have ever toyed with the idea of writing a novel? My guess is a lot. I know I have. I’ve dreamed of writing a novel for years; and while I’m pretty sure I have the technical skill, I never seem to have any good, complete plot ideas. My husband has the opposite problem. His idea is so complete, so in-depth, I think it’s intimidating to try to write. It’s grown beyond his control.

Enter nanowrimo, which actually stands for National Novel Writing Month. Held every November, this is what it’s about:

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.

This is especially cool for me, since my birthday is in November. Perhaps I’ll write a book as a present to myself.