National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo)

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Nanowrimo. Don't ask me how it's pronounced, but it stands for National Novel Writing Month. Some of you are probably already in the throes of writing your 50,000 words rough drafts, but for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about ...

During the month of November thousands of aspiring writers band together to write 50,000 words in 30 days. The goal is to just get a draft down. No one's expecting it to be a masterpiece. Then once the draft is done, you'll finally have something to work with.

But don't let the fact that we're already 7 days into the month deter you. Any month can be your Nanowrimo!

I attempted my own personal Nanowrimo a couple years ago when I was writing my second novel. I purposed to write 60,000 words in 6 weeks. I figured if I wrote 1500 words a day, five days a week, that would work. I ended up taking more like 8 weeks, but I did it. It was hard, I'll admit. But I was very glad I made the commitment.

But here's the thing that made it work for me. I did not allow myself to go back and re-read what I wrote the day before. I know. Sounds impossible, right? It wasn't as hard as I might've thought. Sure, I had some plot threads that got dropped midway. A character or two disappeared (with some others show up unexpectedly). But I found out I had more of the story in my head than I thought.

Have you been laboring over the first three chapters of your book for the past three months (ask me how I know what this feels like!)? Do you desperately want to finish that book you started years ago but put in a drawer? Why not give the Nanowrimo technique a try? You don't have to not read what you wrote the day before, but I guarantee it'll help you turn off that internal editor that hounds your every writing hour. :)

And now in honor of this year's Nanowrimo participants, I give you this video:

My Fave Novels

Because I love novels, I thought this post would be easy to write. But then I had to narrow down my list! Um, not so easy. I had to create a criteria for what would be listed here, and I finally decided to post a few of my favorite books that I've read more than once (and could still read again).

Piercing the Darkness
by Frank Peretti

I first read this novel when I was twelve or thirteen, and I was blown away. I'd never read anything like it. I credit Piercing the Darkness for inspiring me to write Christian fiction. I loved how Peretti created a compelling, suspenseful story ... and yet wasn't afraid to shine the light of truth. He wasn't ashamed to share the gospel in his novels either. I really admire that.

The main character in Piercing is Sally Beth Roe, an imperfect woman who's running for her life. Oh, and did I mention that angels and demons spend the book fighting over her (and others)?

I have read Piercing the Darkness at least five times, maybe more. It's probably time for me to pick it up again! If you haven't read it, you might consider reading the first book in the series This Present Darkness first. They can be read separately (I read Piercing first not knowing there was a book before it), but it's best to read them in order.

The Rivers Run Dry
by Sibella Giorello

Sibella is a new favorite author of mine. She was a reporter before turning to fiction, and she's even been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her first novel The Stones Cry Out won the Christy award for first novel.

The Rivers Run Dry is her second published novel, and it's been one of my favorite books to recommend these days. I love how she writes suspense that's character driven. The main character, Raleigh Harmon, is a woman who's strong but not to a fault. I wrote a book review of this novel that says in part:

The Rivers Run Dry is a rare gem in the suspense genre, paying as much attention to character development as to plot twists. Even minor characters are created with Giorello’s trademark attention to detail. Read the full review here.

Here's how much I enjoyed it. I read the book on a road trip, then as soon as I finished it I turned right around and read it out loud to my family. You can't read just any novel twice in a row and enjoy both times!

In Between
by Jenny B. Jones

I picked up this book and found myself laughing out loud (and I don't normally do that!) almost every chapter. It's that funny. And yet it isn't one of those fluffy YA novels you could take or leave. This one has depth and deals with some tough subjects.

Main character Katie Parker is a sixteen-year-old girl in foster care who's just been sent to live with a pastor and his wife in small town In Between. Her mom's in prison, and she's never really had parents who loved her. She's not all that sure about this God thing, either.

Every year my dad and sister take a camping trip to some remote area of the country where we can just veg out and not think about technology, work, or anything. All we do is sit around the campfire, eat and read. Lately our tradition has been to bring along a novel and read it out loud to each other. In Between was elected on our Idaho trip. I think the squirrels started wondering about us. We were all laughing really loud at times.

And the cool thing is, if you like In Between, it's the first book in the Katie Parker Production series. On the Loose and The Big Picture follow (and are also terrific).

Saving Sailor
by Renee Riva

Here's another one that came with us camping that we also loved. The main character's a ten-year-old, quirky girl who's kinda like Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. She's an animal lover to a fault (her parents won't let her visit the pound ever again), has an animal cemetery where she gives proper burial to the various creatures she finds on her Idaho island home.

Her Italian family is also really quirky, but that's what makes us like them. They're eccentric yet love each other deeply.

I was so glad when Renee wrote a sequel to Saving Sailor in Taking Tuscany because I had fallen in love with the characters. I highly recommend both!

Well, you know I could go on and on talking about novels, so I better sign off now!