The end of SOLSC, beginning of NaNoWriMo

 So many fellow bloggers here have written about the challenge of writing something (hopeful good!) every day this month. Here we on the final day. Whew!

So I have decided to take on another month-long writing challenge! I question my judgment, but I think it will be a good thing.

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a yearly challenge in November to write 50,000 words of a novel. I know two people who have done this. My sister wrote a Nordic epic and my friend Kevin wrote a fantasy novel. My sister let our mom read her novel. (I should ask her if I can read it. I don't know why I haven't.) Kevin asked me to be a beta reader for his novel. I was happy to oblige and gave him my opinionated feedback. After revising, he asked me to read it again - wow, it was good! He has published the novel, it's on Amazon. You can find it by searching for Wellspring, by Kevin Sutherland. (Irrelevant aside: Kevin and I met because we both play French horn. We played together for awhile in a horn choir.)

Two years ago I decided to take the NaNoWriMo challenge. I had an idea for a historical/fantasy novel with music (horn playing) and time travel. I did not meet the 50,000 word challenge, but I learned a lot about writing and what I need to learn in order to be successful in finishing the story. 

NaNoWriMo has grown and now offers a variety of writing challenges throughout the year. April is Camp NaNoWriMo, where you set your own goal, whether it's writing, revising, or something else. There is a lot of support available if one wants it -- master classes, forums, regional writing groups, and so on. It's a very positive space. People cheer you on.

So my goals right now are to improve my plot (it's too thin), fill out my characters (including the bad guys!), and do some historical research that will help with the action, food, clothing, how music worked in the small kingdoms in what is now Austria, and so on. It will be challenging, but I hope it will also be fun.