NaNoWriMo, Here I Come!

Yup. I've done it. I've gone and signed up for National Novel Writing Month. For those of you not in the novel-writing know, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a novel-writing challenge that takes place each November. For the past 10 years or so, thousands of folks from around the world have signed up to write 50,000 words (each) in 30 days. Crazy? Maybe. Fun? Probably not.

Every year since I learned about it (sometime in the early 2000's -- 2001, let's say), I've been meaning to sign up. But writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days is a daunting task, so every year since I learned about it, I've chickened out. Or totally forgotten.

This year is different. This year, I'm not afraid. This year, I'm going to write that damn novel, even if it is nothing but a plotless conglomeration of clichés, wooden characters and purple prose.

My plan is to transition directly from NaNoWriMo in November to NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month) in December. As far as I know, NaNoEdMo doesn't exist, but if I don't set an editing deadline for myself, my shiny new 50,000-word novel will never be fit for humans to behold.

So there. I've told you all how I'm going to be spending my November and December, and you, my faithful and courageous readers, are welcome to join me in this endeavor, or at least to remind me, come November, that I'm supposed to be writing a novel.

Look out, literati!