National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) begins in just a few days. The program is a personal challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. I have participated for the last three years. I plan to enter again this year simply because I like sharing the results with a friend.
I got involved with NaNoWriMo in 2019 after taking a long break from it. Ironically, I took the break because I was writing too much and couldn’t dedicate the month of November to a single writing project. In my first year back to the contest, I wrote a book titled The Chanteuse which the publisher sat on until I got the rights back.
The real impetus for my joining in the last two years was a conversation with my #1 fan. She had just finished reading Death Rides the Red River. She read it even though she doesn’t like monsters. She then asked me if I could write her a western that didn’t have a monster.
NaNoWriMo was rolling around right about that time. So, Redemption was born. Well, the idea for it. I entered NaNoWriMo and finished the book a couple of days before Thanksgiving.
Last year found me winding up Blood Moon in October. I needed a project and the November challenge seemed perfect for pushing me forward. I managed to hit the 50,000-word mark in Judgment by the 29th and added a few thousand words on the last day.
I had planned for Judgment to be the end of the Mann of God series. Plot twist! At least one more time for Kit Mann and Zion, Wyoming. That’s what I will be writing this November.
So, if you’re ready for a challenge that will test you (and those around you) here it is. Check out www.nanowrimo.org and sign up. Then, send a friend request to Jack the Knife, and let’s do this together.
