NaNoWriMo

No, the above is not a misprint, or some weird computer language. It is the acronym for National Novel Writing Month. Which begins November 1st. It is not any old esoteric so-who-cares-anyway designation, but is meant to encourage people -- anyone, not only "writers"-- to write the novel of their dreams. The encouragement comes in the form of a website --www.nanowrimo.org --on which one can sign up to write 50,000 words (175 pages, approximately) in a month, i.e., the month of November. Whoever completes this ridiculous, quixotic task is deemed a 'winner' by the nano folks. You can post excerpts, your daily word count, your profile on the site. You can also often find support in your community. Check the website or even your local library for listings of events offered for wrimos (those who sign up for the gargantuan task).
I myself am teaching a workshop at the Wilbraham (MA) Public Library on Nov. 3rd, although I thought I had no intention of actually signing up for wrimo status myself. But a few weeks ago a full blown book developed in my head during a long dog walk, and I decided, hey, why not? If I complete my goal, I'll end up with a draft of a book. If I don't (but I will), I'll still be pretty far along in a draft. What have I got to lose but sleep?
How daunting a task is it, anyway? Actually, it breaks down to about 6-7 pages a day. Closer to seven, if you intend to take some Turkey Time off, which I do. I figure that's 3-4 hours a day of steady writing. That's really not TOO bad. It's what I usually do when I'm hitting my stride in the midst of work on my novels.
How does one even begin? Well, my strategy is to do my research re characters, backstory, place and internet searches (involving missing children, ghost towns, military research, and women pirates, among other things) NOW, before I start writing. Then to construct a detailed outline. Then to decide which perspective I'm telling the story from. Do some free writes to find my main character's voice. Over the past two weeks I've done most of this stuff, and feel pretty grounded in my story. So, on November 1, I'll be ready to roll. I hope some of you will be joining me. Oh, and if you're interested in the (almost free, I think it costs $3) workshop at the Wilbraham Library on November 3rd, give the library a call and sign up to receive more pearls of wisdom from this quarter.