It’s almost November. And what comes in November?

Turkey? Well, yes, for people in the US. But I’m thinking of something more world-wide.

Novel writing? Bingo! Every November, (in case you haven’t caught on to this madness yet) people from all over the world gather virtually to write 50,000 in 30 days. It’s crazy, it’s maddening, it’s just plain fun. And it takes a lot of dedication to sit in the chair and hammer out nearly 2000 words a day, particularly with the holidays rapidly approaching. If you complete the goal, you win. What do you win? Well, bragging rights, mostly.

This will be my third year. You sign up by creating a novel on the NaNoWriMo website. I haven’t won yet, but before this is the first year I’ve really been able to commit to writing only. My first year I was homeschooling my daughter and last year I tested for my 2nd degree black belt in taekwondo. Ouch. I’ll never do that again, not at the same time as NaNoWriMo. So this year, I’m thinking I’ve actually got a really good shot at winning, so I’m excited an chomping at the bit.

Technically, you’re supposed to write a completely new novel. I admit I’m cheating a bit and using my novel from Camp NaNoWriMo from July. But this book has been working around my brain for years now and I want to get it finished! I’ve got several ideas I want to start on, including a couple of space operas, historical novels, and high fantasies. So far, I’ve only completed discovery work (character bios, soundtracks, timelines, etc.), which the rules do allow you to do before November, so technically I’m okay. Ya’ll have seen some of that background. My Blog Hop story is part of that. I’ll be posting more background stuff here as I build up to November, including another flash fiction story, this time showing some of Rafe’s history.

Part of my problem with this particular book is that it’s definitely contemporary urban fantasy, a genre I’m finding I don’t particularly care for (with some notable exceptions, such as the Dresden Files and the Sookie Stackhouse series). But I love the characters so much that I don’t want to just drop it. So, I’m determined to finish it and hope it doesn’t sound like every other urban fantasy novel out there.

To make a long story short (too late!), consider joining me for NaNoWriMo. I’m jaderpggm on there, so if you decide to join in, add me as your buddy and we can get through this together. 🙂

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