Psst…. wanna write a book?

The first day of November, 2005, only just past midnight. My very first NaNo challenge began.

Seven Novembers have passed since then and I’ve entered into the madness every year without fail. I’ve also won, every year, without fail. It’s one heck of a achievement. From those seven Novembers I’ve produced four published books.

Wait, what’s NaNo?

Take a look here. Go on, I’ll wait. It opens in a new tab so I’ll be here for you to come back.

Confused? I was too. In a nutshell, the NaNoWriMo challenge has many functions and faces. For someone who has always wanted to write it’s a motivator and can drive you to actually sit down and get on with it. For an established writer it can kick you out of a rut and produce beautiful moments of clarity and drive. Either way, the pace is frenetic and it will help you turn off that internal editor who is constantly on your shoulder, telling you your writing is weak, spelling is poor and so on. The pace forces the unlocking of your creative side and unleashes the flow of words like never before.

NaNoWriMo takes your “I’d like to write a book one day.” and turns it into, “Go on then, do it today.” NaNoWriMo will grab you by the scruff of the neck, give you a shake and then suddenly, it’s December and you’re staring at that Winner’s bar on your profile and grinning like a loon because…. You did it!

And, I wasn’t ever going to do it again.

I didn’t enjoy it last year. I dragged myself over the finish line a few days early and I didn’t get the rush of winning. The buzz was missing.  I was in the throws of getting rid of clutter in the house and starting to pack in preparation for a possible imminent relocation.

We moved in March. I’ve been maintaining ever since that this is a new home, a new life, a new me. NaNo was never going to be part of that.

Then I made a new friend and we sat chatting over a cuppa, and things changed. It was like the first couple of Novembers for me. The excitement was back, the ideas started to flow and I have a head filled with peculiar new species, families, woods and mysteries. I have Elois Young, her parents and brother, exploring a new home and on the edge of a discovery where they might realise their home isn’t quite what they thought.

I have a week to decide. Do I take this one to NaNo and start writing like a mad woman next week? Or do I stick to my initial thought that I’ll quit while it was fun and not risk that buzz turning into something that I’ll regret pushing too far?

And, if I do start NaNo next week… do I blog a bit every day?

Feedback in the comments please.