22,500 words completed in September –the countdown to NaNoWriMo begins.

Yesterday I finished my first public 30 day challenge; 750 words a day, everyday, for 30 days. 22,500 words in total. I wrote short stories mostly, but I also did a lot of free writing, which was equal parts comical, enlightening, scary, and intriguing. Now that I’ve successfully hit the 22,500 word mark, my sights are set on a new target, NaNoWriMo, also know as National Novel Writing Month. From November 1st to November 30th, write 50,000 words. Piece of cake. The rules are pretty simple:

* Write a 50,000-word (or longer!) novel, between November 1 and November 30.
* Start from scratch. None of your own previously written prose can be included in your NaNoWriMo draft (though outlines, character sketches, and research are all fine, as are citations from other people’s works).
* Write a novel. We define a novel as a lengthy work of fiction. If you consider the book you’re writing a novel, we consider it a novel too!
* Be the sole author of your novel. Apart from those citations mentioned two bullet-points up.
* Write multiple words (not the same word repeated 50,000 times).
* Upload your novel for word-count validation to our site between November 25 and November 30.

Right. So this October I’ll be busy brainstorming, outlining, and shadowboxing to “Eye of the Tiger” in preparation of the literary maelstrom lurking on the horizon. I’ll also be reading Vonnegut, carving pumpkins, and saying goodbye to my friends and family. See you again in December!

Hemingway once said, “Write drunk, edit sober.” I don’t think I’ll be doing much editing come November. Cheers.