It’s that time of year again – National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. Time to air blow off the keys of your laptop, spin character arcs, plan the caffeine-intake calendar, and stock up on NoDoze. What crazy person would attempt to write 50,000 words in a month? Apparently, me and half a billion other writers who have steel running through their veins and scarecrow stuffing for brains. But unlike the Tin Man, we have heart. Lots of heart!

crest-05e1a637392425b4d5225780797e5a76My NaNoWriMo preparation has included hours of planning an outline, drafting character arcs, plotting twists, and stocking up on: lined notecards, post-its, pens, cashews, and Keurig coffee pods. One financial bonus is that I gave the maid (that’s me) a one-month hiatus. I can’t have feather dusters and vacuum cleaners intruding upon the creative process.  In addition to my fulltime day job, I’ve charted out planned daily word count, dinner options, and doggie bathroom breaks. I have a well-planned blueprint that will allow approximately 124 hours to pen down 404 words per hour at an average of 1,785 words per day to reach the brass ring.

What is the prize for such an accomplishment you may ask yourself? Completion! Pure and simple. If everyone who enters this year’s crazy writing marathon completes their goal, there will be 25 billion new sparkly words chomping to get published sometime in the next year. As a writer, I am excited about the prospect of 200,000 new books to choose from in 2017.

If you know of anyone who is participating this year, please be supportive. Forgive the haggard sluggishness of that co-worker, the unexpected dark circles cropping up under your salesclerk’s eyes, and the cranky postman who will leave your mail with the neighbors twice in November. After all, I will be walking around thinking about an alternate fantasy world wondering if my story characters are going to kill each other or just kill me.

If you would like to participate in this year’s creative writing competition or just learn more, visit www.NaNoWriMo.org.

The World Needs Your Novel

Writers, start your laptops! See you at the finish line.

Remember,

Sherrie’s Always Write

Tune in tomorrow for for Trending Tuesday How to Prepare for Family Holiday Visits

Read yesterday’s Manic Monday – Ready for NaNoWriMo (Not!)

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