A few years ago I decided to take part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. The focus is on quantity, not quality. Sounds pretty easy, right? Just type away for an entire month, without worrying about how good your novel is. Well, I failed.
I tried writing my novel, but I couldn’t figure out what my story was supposed to be about. I don’t think I made it more then a week into November before I gave up. The problem was more than not having a concrete storyline–it was painful not being perfect.
This year I’m going to try NaNoWriMo again. I’ve got an idea or two for my story, and I’m also coming to terms with the perfectionist tendencies. I’m not sure that I will make the 50,000 word limit, but I’m going to give it a really good try!