When people think of the month of November, they might envision turkey dinners and pumpkin pie. Family visits. Black Friday shopping.

I did. That is until Edwin Vega-Roman inspired me to accept the challenge of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

As per their website, “NaNoWriMo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes your story matters. We organize events where kids and adults find the inspiration, encouragement, and structure they need to reach their creative potential.”

For the first time ever, I’ve officially signed up this year as a participant. I will be joining a community of over 150,000 writers from all over the world, all of us with the same individual goal: to compose 50,000 words from November 1 to November 30. I think of it as a writing marathon.

Now let me preface this by saying just the thought of writing 50,000 words scares the crap out of me!

I’m teaching five days a week, so I don’t have a lot of free time, but as for fiction, I don’t think I’ve ever written more than 5,000 words in a month! I’m notorious for revising and editing while drafting. I actually can’t begin a new page unless I’m comfortable with the previous page. I’ve read of other writers, like Kurt Vonnegut, who used this approach. He referred to these writers and himself as “Bangers,” and he called writers who are able to suspend their inner-editor “Swoopers.” I know I’ll need to turn off my inner editor and intuit a Swooper mindset when writing if I’m ever going to be able to be a “NaNoWriMo Winner.”

At the very least, though, I’ll have more of my novel completed by the end of the month.

So if you’ve ever thought about writing a novel, why don’t you join me? Signing up is free, and depending on your location, there will be several local events available for you to attend to help you maintain your focus and determination. Also, there are online forums available if you can’t attend any of the coffee shop meet-ups or workshops.

For more information on NaNoWriMo, or to sign up, please click here.

Wish me luck, y’all! Write your heart out.

Photo credit: NaNoWriMo.org