National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo)

Although I am in full support of Movember, this year I'm committed to National Novel Writing Month (#nanowrimo). The challenge is to write 50,000 words of the first draft of a novel in just 30 days. That’s 1,667 words (or about 6.5 double-spaced typed pages) a day. For comparison, The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald is 50,061 words.

Does anybody want to do this with me? I need a buddy! And an accountability partner. As a challenged typer, putting 1,667 words on a page in any random order is frightening, let alone coherently.

I'm flying to Singapore tomorrow, and it's tempting to say I'll do it next year when the timing may be more convenient, but as we all know the timing is never perfect.

I'd like to think there's a book inside all of us. I've wanted to tell the story of my travels. (today marks two years since I left the US!) My idea is to write an allegorical memoir (Full disclosure: I found this term while writing this caption). What the hell does that mean?

An allegory is a metaphor in which a character, place or event is used to deliver a broader message about real-world issues and occurrences. Think, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I've strictly written nonfiction before, and it currently feels outside the rhealms of my ability as a writer, but I CAN'T get it out of my head. I need to get it down on paper.

I'm embarrassed to bring up this idea because it's more of a flickering light bulb than anything set in concrete. It's more to show that you don't need an outline or a plot or any characters, but just an idea and a willingness to put 1,667 words down everyday.

And who knows? I might not do anything else with this draft after November. But if I don't force the words out, it'll just be another idea lying dormant.

Join me! You can learn more at nanowrimo.org