National Novel Writing Month

Bore Da! A very enjoyable and productive week's work here in Wales. I'm going to miss this place and my makeshift writing nook in the loft, with its Heath Robinson upturned drawer desk.

I can't believe it's nearly November – which by the way, just happens to be National Novel Writing Month. I won't be joining the fun myself, but for anyone struggling to get going on a story, or finding it difficult to sustain the long haul of writing a novel – the NaNoWriMo project might be worth a look.

Participants sign up and begin writing on November 1st, and the aim is to complete a 50,000 word novel by midnight November 30th. Don’t panic, this is a first draft only – not a carefully edited and crafted manuscript ready for publication. Described as a "fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing", the point of NaNoWriMo, is to support you in getting those 50,000 words down. It’s amazing how good it feels once the story is out of your head and onto paper. Even if a lot of what you’ve written is rubbish – and most first drafts are, but without them, you’d never get to the finely crafted final manuscript.

Writing can be a lonely business. Most writers find themselves typing away in solitude, often late at night or early in the morning (especially those of us with day jobs!) By signing up to NaNoWriMo, you won’t feel quite so alone, knowing that all around the world, other participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel.

Visit the NaNoWriMo website for further details and to sign-up. Good luck and happy writing!