I've been reading about various people gearing up for National Novel Writing Month, commonly known as NaNoWriMo, and I kind of feel a little bit of jealousy. A writing challenge is always fun (I'm sorta doing an informal writing challenge with my current novel, trying to bang out the last 60,000 words in the next 2 months, before 2006 hits us between the eyes).

In '01 and '02, I tried to do NaNoWriMo -- write a 50,000-word novel during the month of November (how did it get to be November already?). Both times I started strong, then crashed and burned. I never made it to 50k in a month, although the draft I started back in Nov. 2002 became the romance novel I just sold a few months back!

So there is something to this whole "writing fast" thinking. When you write it all fast, the story stays fresh in your mind, and you don't have to keep checking your notes. You just write.

So I'd like to share some advice for first-timers embarking on the challenge. I mean, I'm no expert, but I have written a couple novels here and there.

My problem was, I'd always get stuck, or, more appropriately, I kept stopping myself. I kept wanting to tweak what I'd written so far, or rearrange stuff, or do more outlining... I was treading water instead of swimming ahead and making progress toward land.

I'd advise you to have a rough outline in your head, but just WRITE for November -- no editing yourself! Read over what you're written to re-familiarize yourself with the story, but just WRITE -- blast out those words. You've gotta fill 6-7 pages a day, so you don't want to get in your own way.

Also, don't get too caught up in all the paraphernalia related to NaNoWriMo -- the forums, the discussions, the long journal entries you'll wanna write about the process. Try your best just to focus on the story. Tell yourself a story. Tell it as best you can, but don't stop and go back. Do that later, during revisions.

You're in for a real treat if you just trust yourself and write. A lot of my favorite scenes came to life when I zigged instead of zagged in a scene, just improvising and experimenting. I still remember the scene I wrote in my aliens novel that took place out in a wintry field, with my protagonist surrounded by aliens playing some sort of game that involved hurling large rocks at each other, and our human was caught in the middle of it, freezing his ass off -- I remember actually feeling cold as I was writing all that. And grinning like a maniac.

Which brings me to my last, and most important point -- have fun! Writing has to be fun. Why else would we do it?

Good luck everyone -- netter, Electric Grandmother, Robin, and everyone else!