Imma Gonna Write a Novel, Pa!

"Writing a novel is like heading out over the open sea in a small boat. It helps, if you have a plan and a course laid out." 
~John Gardner

I've always said that I want to write a novel...a good one (hopefully).  Really, I'd like to have a career writing novels, drinking good coffee, and traveling, but I just can't seem to bring myself to sit down and write it.  I've got ideas; loads of them.  Yet, somehow every time I sit down to write nothing comes out.  Just blah and a blank page...mostly.  It's really a disease that I've had for as long as I can remember.  Well, I take that back.  When I was in elementary and early middle school I would write short horror stories.  This was due to the fact that, at the time, I was OBSESSED with R.L. Stine books.  Not the Goosebumps series, but the Fear Street ones.  The ones meant for an older audience :)  Obviously that's not the vein I want to go in now.  I'd like to think that my taste in the written word has become a little more honed.

Anyway, my friend Mandy sent me a link to this great site/organization where, for the entire month of November, all you do is write a novel.  No matter how poor it is, your goal is to simply get to 50,000 words.  I think I can do that!  Since I don't work on Tuesdays, Thursday, or the Weekends (yeah, I have a lot of time on my hands now), I feel that I can spend some time actually trying to achieve this goal.  Though I really should spend those days, at least Tuesdays and Thursdays, prepping for my courses and grading papers, I need something not related to campus and teaching grammar/essays.  This will become my deviation and means of procrastination!

I haven't yet decided what kind of novel I want to write (Chick Lit, Historical Fiction, Crime Caper, Etc.), so I think that's my goal for today; figure out what I want to write and whatnot!  I talked to Mandy the other day and she's way ahead of the game (type of novel, title, character sketches, and I'm sure more), so I need to get my butt in gear.

If you would like to join in on this wonderful adventure (I'm thinking about you, BINKS!), here's the link to the National Novel Writing Month website.  Let the writing commence!