NaNoWriMo 2017

Tomorrow is the first day of National Novel Writing Month, and for the first time in a few years, I'm going for it! This challenge of writing 50,000 words of a new novel is crazy, but fun. It's crazy fun!

This will be my fifth time participating in NaNoWriMo. Out of the four times I've participated in the past, only once have I been a "winner." And twice have my manuscripts actually ended up as full drafts. Both of those, by the way, have been revised and polished. Alas, neither has been accepted for publication. Yet.

This year's project is a middle grade fantasy that I am tentatively calling The Black Pool. To prepare for the writing of this novel, I have written a one-line pitch, a one-paragraph blurb, character sketches for the primary characters, and the beginnings of an outline. I've also created a board on my Pinterest profile for world-building inspiration. I'm not exactly a planner, but for this kind of challenge I need a bit of direction before I get started.

My oldest daughter is taking the NaNoWriMo plunge too, and as an extra incentive for us both, we have decided that our reward for "winning" will be to order some fun NaNoWriMo gear. And I'm GONNA WIN, because I really want that T-shirt. Or maybe the travel bag. I can decide later!

Are you doing this crazy challenge this year? Here are a few tips that helped me get through it in the past:

1. Plan. At least a little, so you have some sense of direction.
2. Do NOT edit, as far as it is humanly possible.
3. Write out of order if necessary.
4. Participate in Word Sprints on Twitter (@NaNoWordSprints)
5. Ignore the haters! Even the little invisible one that whispers in your ear.

Here we go! Who's with me?