November is "National Novel Writing Month" -- NaNoWriMo for short. The goal of NaNoWriMo, which started back in 1999, is to write a novel -- that is, 50,000 words -- in one month.

I recently read a library book called "Writing Your First Novel" (or something generic like that) and the number one thing the author stressed was, in order to write a book, you must write every single day. Even if you don't have a finished plot (or a plot at all), the author stressed you should set aside a block of time (one hour was suggested) and write every single day. The author of this particular book suggested that a plot would ultimately reveal itself. Once the bulk of the writing has been done, it can then be massaged into something more meaningful.

The creators of NaNoWriMo have a similar philosophy. The goal is to average 1,667 words a day, not necessarily to crank out a best selling novel -- although, to be fair, according to the NaNoWriMo website the contest has generated "a number of published novels and one New York Times #1 Bestseller" (Water for Elephants, by Sarah Gruen).

So there you go. Susan and I are both planning on writing a novel this November. There's no prize to win for finishing and there's no guarantee the books will be any good, but it seems like an obtainable goal and I'm looking forward to the challenge. And more than that, we're looking forward to reading each other's books.

Link: http://www.nanowrimo.org