National Novel Writing Month

Think of all the times you've heard someone say, "I have so many stories I'd love to write down some day.  I could literally write a book."  National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) literally makes that true!

The premise is simple: write, type, or chisel 1,667 words each of the 30 days that hath November, and you finish with a 50,000 word novel.  A long day at work?  Come home and write 1,667 words.  A bout of writer's block?  Sit down, or stand up, and write 1,667 words.  Give some coin to the NaNoWriMo "cause," and you can receive little stickers that remind you of what each unit of 1,667 words means.  A sticker fits nicely on a laptop.

NaNoWriMo is a perfect opportunity for solitary nerds.  Even though NaNoWriMo schedules "Write Ins" around most big cities, writing generally does not lend itself to group activity.  Writing begins with an empty page and ends when you've either put enough words on the page to justify giving yourself some time off or you've spent so much time and effort you can't stand it another minute.  Then, you come back -- alone -- the next day and do it all over again.

I managed to complete NaNoWriMo in 2010.  It was a great experience.  I followed the advice to tell everyone from students to colleagues to Facebook friends I was writing a novel so that people would ask me how the book was coming.  Having to explain why I wasn't writing was more difficult than just doing it.  The novel ground forward, about 1,667 words per day.

One night, I decided to attend a NaNoWriMo group meeting at a suburban coffee shop.  No one else showed, but my daughter and her friend did enjoy their overpriced hot chocolates loaded with various expensive extras.  They managed to keep themselves entertained just long enough that the complaints of boredom were still few when I closed my laptop.

A few friends asked to be in the book.  My son's best friend from 2000, the year I set my novel, even provided me the alias I used for him.  He gave every indication of thoroughly enjoying every word I read him.  Other friends didn't ask overtly, but individual moments involving them were so clear they simply had to go on paper.

From the perspective of November 2012, the subject and plot of 2010's The Recount, based on how a character with certain similarities to an unmarried, obese version of me is shaken back into trying to have "a life" during the Bush versus Gore Presidential recount of 2010, matter much less than the effort.

My wife read The Recount.  I emailed it to my eldest son, who probably didn't.  My daughter, who was then just turning 13, read the first paragraph, which (in what I considered a cleverly ironic twist) consisted of the protagonist picking lint from his navel, and turned away with a "eww."

I did read a couple of selections as a professional conference presentation early in 2011, and I even went so far as to print out my certificate of completion and fill it out as my presentation ended.  The audience applauded and said they enjoyed what they heard.  They did not ask, however, for the full book.

I have a general plot for another novel, The Call, based on how a character who bears certain similarities to a more successful version of me is shaken to reality by the events that follow 9/11.  Had I the time this month, I'd try to grind out 1,667 words tonight.  Honest, I would.

For thousands of novelists around the world, NaNoWriMo begins or has already begun today.  Of those who finish, most will write a lot of junk.  Not all, however.  Mental Floss has published a list of 11 NaNoWriMo books that found a publisher and an audience.

All of which means that if you're reading this post at the beginning of the month, it's not too late to go to NaNoWriMo's website and sign up.  Do you have 30, 29, or 28 days of potential literary greatness in you?

The answer lies between you and the empty screen or page.  If you decide to accept the challenge, I can promise you some lonely hours between now and November 30, but I don't think you'll ever regret the effort.  To literature!