Entering Into The World of NaNoWriMo.

November is National Novel Writing Month, and I decided to join in on the fun in the hopes it will motivate me to write more and edit less. If you don't know what it is, here's a blurb from the website:

"National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down."

This year I've decided to focus on a novella involving Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus, the first female naval commander in history. It's part historical fiction, part romance. I'll be updating the project both here and on the site, so look for that soon.


An idea of what Artemisia looks like to me.

In the meantime, I'm still working on my Themistocles novel, though it's going slower than I'd like. Themistocles needs more personal conflict in the beginning, which is hard because he's so young. Hopefully something will inspire me by participating in the above contest.

Speaking of which, I encourage you to join as well. It's a fun way to learn and a good way to meet people (though DON'T believe anyone who says they're an editor or agent looking to buy your book, especially if they ask for fees up front). You can access the site by clicking on the link above. :)