I am preparing for my second attempt at NaNoWriMo. November has been deemed National Novel Writing Month and the goal is to write a novel (estimated at about 50,000 words) in 30 days. Last year I persisted for eight days before I gave up. I didn’t get very far because I was just free-writing, but this year, I’m determined to finish. I am ramping up with a story outline and character ideas.

I’m using RocketBook to help organize all my ideas. This was my first brainstorm of what to write about in November.

I have always loved to write stories since I was a child. In third grade I wrote a story that was chosen to be performed by the local theatrical troupe visiting my elementary school. It was based on the board game Candy Land, imagining a world where the characters came to life. I was thrilled to watch my story performed. That was just the beginning of love for writing and creating stories.

In college, I continued taking creative writing classes while I studied Journalism. Currently, I’m a Project Coordinator by day and reader and blogger by night, but I haven’t lost my love for writing stories. I’m just a bit rusty now. While most of my blogs focus on book reviews and events going on in my life, I felt it was time to explore my more creative side.

My struggle is deciding where to start. Do I want to write a cozy, or a coming of age novel, or a memoir? Should I go all Hemingway in the movie Midnight in Paris? “If you’re a writer, [slams fist on table], declare yourself the best writer.”

With less than 30 days until the start of the challenge, I want to mentally prepare for the writing marathon of the year. I spent the last two weeks going over possible story ideas in my head. After listing out ideas and talking to friends, I finally decided on a topic on which to write. I realize that it might change over the course of NanoWriMo, but that’s OK, it’s a start.

My next step is to actually create a NaNoWriMo account, so I can find support and stay on track. I don’t know anyone personally who is also working toward this goal, but it’s nice to know that there is a community of writers and supporters out there. Please cheer me on as I struggle to write my own Great American Novel.

Hemingway provides some encouragement to stay focused this November.

For more information on NanoWriMo, visit https://nanowrimo.org/

Cost: My sanity for the month of November

Drink of Choice: Lots and lots of hot coffee