NaNoWriMondays

From now until November 30th I'm going to devote Mondays on the blog to National Novel Writing Month, in which I plan to participate, and will absolutely nag everyone else who wants to listen. If you do a search of PBW with the NaNoWriMo tag you will also find all the posts I've written in the past with pep talks, helpful links and free or very cheap online resources etc.

We've got almost a month before the madness begins, and I'm sure some of you are still on the fence as to whether or not to join in. Lots of writers wait until the last minute before they sign up, which is fine. Sometimes it's tough to decide. The thought of writing fifty thousand words in thirty days can be intimidating, especially when you have a day job. I'll be writing two books simultaneously for the first couple weeks in November -- one for work + my NaNo novel -- so believe me, I understand.

NaNoWriMo is work. Hard work. Challenging, frustrating, often maddening work -- but it isn't all work. It's allowing your muse to do whatever it wants. For a novelist, it's a month-long chunk of creative freedom. Your novel isn't going to write itself, and it's possible you could end up with a story that lives in a drawer or trunk or on a hard drive forever. Also, at the finish line you don't actually get anything but your story. Well, and bragging rights. And that cool winner badge to post on your blog or web site, and possibly some special free offer thing from NaNoWriMo commercial sponsors. And the satisfaction of knowing that you wrote a book in thirty days.

This November I'll be writing Haunted House Style for all of you. I'll post online every word I write daily so you can see how I handle a first draft. Once I've finished and edited the book, it will be permanently posted on the free reads page. I can't wait, either. This is the most fun I can have while staying dressed. Also, I love that winner badge.

Are you ready to commit? If you have, how are you prepping for NaNoWriMo? Tell us in comments.