On Your Mark...Get Set—Go

I’ve bitten the bullet — once again. November means novel writing month. Sign up and commit to writing a novel of 50,000 words during the month. Yes, most of these novels are simply a stream of words, but some —after much editing— become good books. This year over 400,000 people from all over the world will have their fingers poised to go. In addition 95,000 young people will write a bit more abbreviated novels.

I completed a novel in 2012 and framed my completion certificate and buried the novel. Four years later I tried again and ran out of steam. This time I have a motive. For years a story simmers beneath the surface and never moves beyond wishful thinking. I don’t really care if I reach the grand total of 50,000, but I do want to move beyond a daydream. 

I also daydream about putting together a mss of my poems— but that’s a matter of editing and culling poems from those already written. Perhaps this winter.

But the novel is different. It’s a story without a framework. So on the last day of sign up I signed up— figured out how to upload my word count and tomorrow I’ll jump in and write. No editing. And if I stop before reaching the magic number ....

If I begin the story and ferret out where I want to go...

If I give my characters free choice...

Perhaps the story that I want to tell will be written— or begun.