On your mark, get set, WRITE!

Tomorrow begins National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, as it’s more commonly called. And for the first time ever, I intend to participate. Why? Well, why not? It’s our month, after all. A month for writers to celebrate the joy that is writing—and get a manuscript ready in what seems to be record time.

During NaNo, the idea is to just write. Get the words on paper. Don’t stop to edit, the only thing you have to beat is the clock. Write until you can’t feel your fingers, and then rest up because tomorrow brings more of the same. The word count goal is 50k, and though my ambitions aren’t quite as high, I’m not cutting myself any slack. 50k/30 days = approx. 1667 words a day. Yes, this is a daunting task…especially to those of us with jobs, children, and other interruptions. However, it is likewise not unattainable, and if you tackle it with the idea of 200-300 words here and there throughout the day, the goal is easy to come by.

Regardless if you participate in NaNo, the principles behind the month-long event are those to keep in check at all times. Writing the novel is key to everything else. Editing comes later. Don’t think. Just do it.