This will be my fifth year participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

Every year, I write the first draft of another installment of the Finding Earth Series. Currently, two are published (click here for details) and one is being staged for publication in 2020, and another is still in draft. At the end of November, I have most of a first draft — not a completed novel — but it’s a very productive month.

For those of us living in the States, we have Thanksgiving in November and that can help or hurt progress. It motivates me as I have to be done by the 20th because I host a large extended family. (It’s much easier now that I’m retired from the day job.) I will continue as the Municipal Liaison for my region this year.

The competition is against yourself. Writing 50,000 words in a month, or 1,667 words a day, is hard work, but it’s fun too. I’ve met some great people during the November writing spree, and I’ve learned a lot too. NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.

I’m a traditionalist. On November 1st, I write the first word of a brand new novel. Since I write science fiction and fantasy, I do create my world, define characters, name plants and animals, draw maps, and identify nine plot points. But not one word of the story is written before the 1st.

If you want to know more about NaNoWriMo, head over to https://nanowrimo.org and check it out. If you decide to sign up for a month of writing, drop me a hello. My name is Taviar in the NaNoVerse.

A redesigned NaNo web site is in play and it has had some growing pains. Don’t talk yourself out of participation because of the change. The goal is to write 50k toward a novel, not play on a website.

NaNoWriMo Mission Statement

National Novel Writing Month believes in the transformational power of creativity. We provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.

On November 1, participants start a novel, hoping to complete it by 11:59 PM on November 30 (your local time).