National Novel Writing Month Begins Today and We’re Participating

By: Gini Dietrich | November 1, 2012 |

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I have been prepping for today since August.

November 1. A Thursday. What’s the big deal?

Well, I let Debra Caplick talk me in to (challenge me?) participating in NaNoWriMo.

Say what?

It’s National Novel Writing Month, which gives you 30 days to write 50,000 words. And it starts today!

As it turns out, though, you can’t write the same word 50,000 times (I checked).

You also can’t submit anything you’ve already written. You have to start from scratch. The only thing you can have done before today is write an outline and do your research.

So the outline, characters, plot, and initial research is in a notebook with a bicycle on the front of it. Some of you have likely seen me carrying it around, protecting it more than my pretty red Moleskin (where client/work stuff is written).

Here are the rules:

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 more than one word repeated 50,000 times.
Upload your novel for word-count validation to our site between November 25 and November 30.

You have 30 days to write a full book of fiction, which (admittedly) is much better than the guys who wrote Execute in one week (er, the goal was a week, but they did it in eight days).

Between prepping the business for our best year ever next year, continuing to write here every day, taking two trips outside of the country, and Thanksgiving, this should be a pretty good challenge.

I’ve had the book swirling in my head for a good four months so I’m ready to get it onto paper. If I accomplish it, Erik Hare is going to give it a good first edit and then we’ll find a publisher.

Besides Debra, I know Michael Schechter and Brent Carnduff also are participating.

It’s not too late to join the party, if you’re so inclined. If you’re participating, let us know so we can all ~~hold each other accountable~~ cheer one another one.

About Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She also has run, built, and grown an agency for the past 14 years. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round, co-host of Inside PR, and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast.