Challenge Yourself With
National Novel Writing Month

This year, National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo , for short, is 10 years old (in 2008). Who started this crazy tradition and why?

NaNoWriMo has began with a meager 21 restless friends in the San Francisco Bay area who, instead of starting a garage band as many bored twenty-somethings do, started a writing frenzy. They haven't stopped since.

By the next year, they'd created a website and gathered participants until they've now grown to over 100,000 international participants in 2007. Their website includes a place to post your word count as you progress from 12:01 am November 1 through midnight November 30, pounding out your 175 pages ( aka 50,000 words).

Forums abound, and many writers keep in touch with each other as the insanity grows throughout the month. Instead of polishing each word as it splats from brain to page, you cram as many words into the month as you can and worry about the shine later.

But don't get me wrong. NaNoWriMo is not just for crazies who'll spill their guts into a novel that will never be published. Plenty of people have published the works they've slaved over during this contest.

The deadline seems to force many who'd never manage to squeeze a complete novel out of their dreams to glue themselves to their chairs and just write. Maybe you need the same goad?

If you're afraid to leap into such a daunting task alone, never fear. Regional groups abound worldwide. If you can't find one near you, start one! You can enjoy a kick-off party, weekly write-ins, TGIO parties and more. You'll certainly get out of your own personal dungeon long enough to clear some brain cells for more ideas. And maybe make a few new crazy friends in the meantime.

Winners receive an awesome PDF certificate of accomplishment, a web badge, and the grand sense that they did it! Nor will you be left high and dry after the frenzy. You can get advice after the event on revision, contests and taking your manuscript onwards and upwards.

So if you've always wanted to write a Great American Novel, get over it and try a Great Frantic Novel instead. You'll be the better for it, no matter whether you win or only come close.

Want to join us in the fun? My teenage daughter an I are going to try to write a novel in 30 days again, with all the other crazy people who give NaNoWriMo a shot. Check out the page where you can "sign up" with us, and we'll post your progress with ours.