Write a novel in 30 days… Or Else!

Have you ever wanted to run a marathon? Climb Everest? Fly to the moon?

Do people look at you like you have an extra head? This is for you.

National Novel Writing Month is an annual event where people register to write a full novel, roughly 175 pages (50,000 words) in length within a month. 50,000 words in 30 days. I first found out about this when I came across Chris Baty’s excellent No Plot? No Problem!: A High-velocity, Low-stress Way to Write a Novel in 30 Days. It’s a fantastic read that gets you psyched up and ready for the gruelling month ahead. Not being particularly full of free time, I can see this being difficult and I’m unsure if I’ll make it to the end (especially with such distractions as the PSP) but I’m going to try my damnedest.

The way it works is this, you agree to write 50,000 words in 30 days, starting at the 1st of November and finishing on the 30th. In order to reach this target, you need to write at breakneck speed, eschewing traditional novel-writing features such as quality in favour of quantity. Remember, the goal is to reach 50,000 words, not a coherent final draft. If you are considering signing up, I would recommend you get the book as it takes you through the highs of week one, the pain and sorrow of week two, the insanity of week three and the relief in week four.

NaNoWriMo is in its sixth year, has local chapters set up across the world and looks like the right sort of combination of ‘fun’ and ‘pain’ for masochistic fools like myself. Last year there were 42,000 entrants and 6,000 winners, giving me a one in seven chance of winning.

So, on to the novel. I haven’t got a bloody clue. Still, I have till the end of the month to start writing. Anyone here got any ideas?