Hi, all! Just wanted to give you a quick heads up that this page may be updated less frequently during the month of November due to NaNoWriMo. I’m finally doing this year! Or I’m going to die trying!

For those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, and it takes place each year in November. It was started in 1999 as a way to offer support and spur creativity in a group of friends who wanted to write a novel. The goal was simple: 50,000 words in 30 days. They don’t have to be good; editing comes later. They just have to be complete.

The movement exploded over the next few years, and now NaNoWriMo is a writing event celebrated (or dreaded) by writers around the globe. There are no prizes, per se, but, just by participating, you get access to the love and support of your fellow writers via the NaNoWriMo website, as well as the sense of accomplishment when, at the end of the month, an idea that was just inside your head only 30 days before is now sitting in your hands (or on your computer) as a 50,000 word document.

I’m using it as a way to kick my butt into gear after struggling with this new story idea for months. I’ve done a very basic outline–I know vaguely where I want it to go–but I’m going to attempt something new with this novel and simply write. I’m going to use NaNo to get to know my characters and see where they take me. This is a huge leap of faith for a planner like me, but I’m excited to see where the month takes me.

But, as you can imagine, attempting at LEAST 1667 words a day for 30 days while simultaneously trying to, you know, live my life is a huge stretch. So, unfortunately, the blog will take a backseat for a little while. But I promise I’ll be back in December with new installments of History Friday and a 50,000 word start on a brand-spanking new novel.

Or perhaps a blog post about why you should never, ever, EVER attempt NaNoWriMo.

Wish me luck!