NaNoWriMo Begins Today

And so it begins! Last night, I made it up past midnight by writing scenes that were stuck in my head about my new NaNo novel. When it came time to write that first, all-important opening however, I blanked. Which is truly awful, considering I write best when I'm drowsy.

(There have been things I've written while literally in the process of passing out, that turned out to be really delightful when I read them the next day.)

In case you're all sitting here staring at this headline going, "What in the world is NaNoWriMo?" allow me to enlighten you.

NaNoWriMo stands for: National Novel Writing Month. Every November, we crazy participants pledge to take the next 30 days and create 50,000 words. This means you can take your current WIP and start from scratch on November 1 and push through, keeping tabs on an awesome graph of your word count day by day. Or, like me, you can start with a new project that's been lingering in your mind for some time. My first NaNo was in the year 2011 and I started my novel November 1, and ended it November 29 at 68,667 words. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to validate my novel. Therefore, I did not get my winner's badge. *sad face*

I'm a regular pro by now, however. I've participated in every November NaNoWriMo since then and barely squeaked by a few years, but I did it every year. I've also done a few Camp NaNoWriMos which run usually in April and July (though my first crack at it was in 2012 when it was June and August). I haven't had as much success during Camp, so I stick to the April one when real life is a little less interested in me. If you want to check out any of these awesome opportunities, here are the links: http://nanowrimo.org

http://www.campnanowrimo.org

And if you have the spare change lying around, think about donating. There are also several opportunities for write-ins and even classroom options.

Alas, this blog is getting more attention than my new project and so I must find a way to start this novel. (The first step is always the hardest, is it not?)