Who would have known\u00a0so many people are dying to write a novel?\u00a0 All they needed was the challenge — and one enormous support group.\u00a0 There’s an entire industry that has sprung up around this annual event hosted by the nonprofit organization started by freelance writer Chris Baty, in 1999.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You can buy books to\u00a0help\u00a0you organize your 30 days and give you pointers and pep talks when the going gets tough.\u00a0 You can write on Wattpad<\/a>, an online writers’ group — they’re even offering a cash prize based on a random drawing of finishers.<\/p>\n One piece of advice is to set aside an hour a day and stick to it.\u00a0 Make a rough outline.\u00a0 You don’t have to follow it, but it might keep you from getting lost.\u00a0 Don’t try to edit what you’ve written; just keep writing and don’t look back.\u00a0 Be bold!\u00a0 Don’t be afraid to take chances.\u00a0 You will write garbage, trust me.\u00a0 But if you write fast enough about something that matters to you, you’ll discover something worth keeping.<\/p>\n If you want to join this year’s wave, it’s not to late to sign up (though you’ll\u00a0have to write furiously to catch up.)\u00a0 There aren’t too many rules.\u00a0 One is, it has to be a new novel, it can’t be a work in progress.<\/p>\n In 2007 I took part in NaNoWriMo, and I completed a novel in 30 days.\u00a0 It took me nearly six more years to get it ready for publication!\u00a0 My\u00a0novel, Looking for Redfeather<\/em>, has just been published by Fiction House, Ltd.<\/a>\u00a0(my own imprint.)\u00a0\u00a0This labor of love all started when I answered the challenge of National Novel Writing Month.\u00a0 As chaotic as that first draft was, that’s where I captured the heart and soul of the story.<\/p>\n Looking for Redfeather<\/em> is a contemporary, coming-of-age\u00a0novel.\u00a0 It’s the story of three runaway teenagers who meet up by chance on the road and go looking for an Apache named Redfeather.\u00a0\u00a0It’s a literary road trip –but it’s not Jack Kerouac’s\u00a0story, and it’s not your grandfather’s road trip, though one of the teens has\u00a0stolen his dead grandfather’s car.<\/p>\n Looking for Redfeather<\/em> is available in trade paperback from Amazon<\/a>.\u00a0 It’s available in electronic format from Smashwords,<\/a> and\u00a0soon, on Amazon Kindle.<\/p>\n Good luck to this year’s novel writers.\u00a0\u00a0Believe me,\u00a0I’m drafting on your amazing energy.\u00a0 Keep\u00a0those words\u00a0coming, you only have 29 more days.<\/p>\n
![\"942322_10201311769985066_995820036_n\"](\"http:\/\/www.lindacollison.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/942322_10201311769985066_995820036_n-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"