In exactly 81.5 hours (for the Central Time Zone), the annual collective masochism of authors and poets commences for the thirteenth year. Lucky 13.

NaNoWriMo.

Also known as “National Novel Writing Month,” NaNoWriMo is an event in which participants aim to write a 50,000 word novel between November 1 and November 30. This means that writers have a goal of 1667 words a day for all 30 days, but can certainly write more or less. The main goal is to write every day, to get in the habit of writing daily so that when the month is over, if nothing else, you have a newly founded habit to support your writing goals for the rest of the year.

I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time last year. I didn’t finish (hell, I was knee-deep in grad school and a three-lab course load; I was crazy to even start), but my participation kickstarted something else. You see, when I started last year, I was drowning in recovery from an eating disorder. I had sacrificed my love of writing for the beast of perfection (which, in case you were wondering, doesn’t exist) — a love that NaNo resurrected. Well, NaNo and the writing community on Tumblr, but that’s another story for another post.

It’s safe to say, despite the release of The Stories We Tell (that isn’t quite ready ahhhh) on 12 November plus my schoolwork and job applications, I am going to participate again this year. I haven’t pick a project yet, but I might just try…well, starting something. That’s what I did last year, and that story (while unfinished) is one I want to come back to someday.

Will you be participating in NaNo? Have you participated before? Do you have any suggestions for newbies who are participating for the first time?

Here is the link to my profile. Add me as a friend!