National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

November is National Novel Writing Month ((NaNoWriMo)! The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. According to the website:

National Novel Writing Month  is a nonprofit event that encourages kids and adults to tackle the challenge of writing a novel in November. Launched in 1999, NaNoWriMo inspires its 180,000 participants with email pep talks, a huge and supportive online community, and a host of web-based writing tools. Additionally, volunteers called Municipal Liaisons (MLs) in nearly 500 regions organize local writing events and get-togethers that transform novel-writing into an achievable and fun community endeavor.

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.

Sign up and you'll receive emailed pep talks from such luminaries as Aimee Bender, Dave Eggers and Lemony Snicket!  To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight.

Good luck everyone, and let me know how it's going!