It’s early October and I’m suddenly struck with that feeling. It’s coming. November, aka…

National Novel Writing Month.

50,000 words of total writing madness in 30 days, all the while dealing with everything that life throws at you. Plus, this year, I have an extra challenge or two – new book proposals and writing on Book 3 of the Charming Tales.

Part of me, the sane part of me, says “Don’t do it this year. You don’t have time. You can’t. Would you risk Charming for National Novel Writing Month?”

The crazy part of me, says “AHA! What a great story it would make if you succeeded!”

I’ve done it every year successfully since 2009. I certainly don’t want to stop now. I always tell people who want to try that whether you succeed in writing 50,000 words in a month or not, you will certainly have more words than you started. I believe that. When I first tried Nanowrimo, I failed utterly and ended with only 8,000 words or so. That failure eventually turned into Souls of the Everwood, my first Krueger novel.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a writer, I recommend giving it a try. Make sure you register at the National Novel Writing Month website, www.nanowrimo.org. I find that it’s extremely fun, a great way to meet fellow writers and the tools that you can find at nanowrimo.org help keep you on track. If you do make the attempt, here are a few pieces of advice.

• Start thinking of ideas now. You want to know what to write when October 31 becomes November 1.
• Make sure that whatever your idea is that you love it. Very little is fun to write after 50,000 words in a month and you need to love your choice to get through the rough times.
• Warn your family and friends. You want to make sure you have support.
• Think about using something like a WordPress blog to help keep you writing. I like to post chapters as I go during November.
• Get a running start on November 1. The more words you get at the start, the easier the rest will be, especially when the unexpected happens.
• Make new friends on the Nanowrimo boards. Go to events. My nanowrimo user name is Vashar if you want to look me up.

A little over three weeks to go! You can do it.

As for me, I’m definitely going to do my best, but fans of Jack Heckel shouldn’t worry. I won’t let Book 3 slip.

If you have any thoughts or questions, leave a comment below.