As of November 1, 2007, I will plunge with my writing pen into the uncharted depths of a new novel: Kingdom of Serenity Gardens. Will it be suspenseful? Yes, for me. Will it have romance? Definitely. Will it usher me into a new era of respect and a guest appearance on Masterpiece Theatre?  Ah...no.  Probably not.  After all, I've only got 30 days of frantic typing to reach "the end".

November is National Novel Writing Month!  Thousands of creative people all over the continent will be joining me in this wacky, somewhat mad adventure.  My kids are doing it again.  My friends are doing it again. You can do it, too.

I participated in NaNoWriMo in 2006, and won! I churned out over 50,000 words in 30 days. The satisfaction of knowing I had yet another cohesive chunk of words somewhat resembling a story was billowing, let alone knowing when push came to shove-the-backside-into-the-computer-chair, I had what it took.

I also learned the valuable lesson I was hoping to: in thirty days, there's no time to stop and edit, back-track to clarify, or rewrite with fewer metaphors. I had to keep moving, keep typing. I didn't end up with a story worth publishing - yet. But it has promise. It has a beginning, a middle, and end. Now that's something I can work with.

This year offers the same anticipation of late night alliteration, caffeine-induced plot twists, and a sprinkling of write-ins with friends gone goofy from hot dog fumes and sleep deprivation. Does that sound like a good time, or what? I've got my husband's grandmother's quilt prepared, and I'm already stocking up on British tea. I'm ready for my newest adventure.

Anyone else want to give it a try?