November is National Novel Writing Month

Let's sign up for the November National Novel Writing Month.

Have you heard about the National Novel Writing Month? It's held each November. You may want to participate or at least learn about it. Until Halloween, all I knew was that a writer friend of mine tried it a couple of years ago and succeeded.

Last night, October 31, 2017, I signed up to enter the project. For the last few weeks, I've been planning a novel that is somewhat like a memoir about my parents and my first- and second-born brothers. Back in the 1930's they encountered the deadly choking disease diphtheria. The way they struggled with it presents a strong conflict. This story, as it was told to me, displays courage that I have admired all my life. Although my mother's account sounds incredible, she had no reason to tell me anything but the truth. The stories my parent shared with me predate my writing career.

Please excuse my digression. Back to the process:

Step 1: Find the site. If you type National Novel Writing Month in your search bar, your computer wiil take you to more information.

Step 2: Read about it. Webpage after webpage will answer any questions you may have in clear yet clever language.

Step 3: Relieve anxiety. What does it cost? That's always my first question. Nothing. What do you have to do? Write 50,000 words in a month. What if you don't do it? Nothing will happen.

Step 4: Go to the sign up page. Follow the guides through the website.

Step 5: Select a user name. Mine is one that  seems logical because it refers to a community near my childhood home. It's Hot Coffee. The results will be published for each of my day's progress somewhere on the site.

Step 6: Name your book. You need a title but it doesn't have to be the final one.

My mother began her existence as what she considered an insignificant person with an insignificant life. She had the character of a potential leader in her little world, but she was trapped in poverty without an opportunity to receive an education. She wanted her life to count. The story is about the way she succeeded. It gives me a chill to  type these words. It isn't about whether I liked her. I've always loved her, but if we are honest most of us have not always liked our parents. This  story is about my admiration for her character, strength, perseverance, etc. Since it all happened long before my birth, it is not about me.

My mother wanted her life to count. The only way she could do so was to rear children to the best of her ability. Her greatest  helper was her Lord. The first title that came to mind was A LIFE THAT COUNTS, but saying something in fewer words is makes a better title. In the little blank I typed A COUNTED LIFE. Several authors have written books entitles A LIFE THAT COUNTS, but for the moment A COUNTED LIFE doesn't appear on Amazon.

Step 7: Fill in all the little boxes that tell about the book. This step can wait. Since it was Halloween, we were exhausted from our trunk or treat project, and the World Series game tying the championship between Houston and Los Angeles had ended, I skipped to Step 8. I did list the genre though, which is history. It was way past bedtime.

Step 8: Click enter. Now Hot Coffee is listed with 0 words so far.

The last word: Oh, I did write a letter to the "Contact Us" Help address. I wanted to know what would happen if one enters the contest on November 1.  So far, I've received a form letter.

Wait a second! The letter showed up in my inbox a second ago:

Hi there,

Thanks for writing in! Yes, users can sign up to participate anytime.

Wesley Sueker
Customer Service Captain
National Novel Writing Month

See? This is real.

Happy Writing.

I you are working on this project, please friend and message me at Mary Cooke on Facebook. Can't you just visualize us with a turkey drumstick in one hand while hitting the keys of our computers with the other.

Happy Writing.