What Is NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and works on the premise that everybody has a novel inside of them; they just need a deadline to get it out. So every year during the month of November, would-be novelists from around the world spend 30 days spewing words onto a page, with a goal of hitting 50,000 words in the story before the end of the month. I have participated in this unexpectedly fun activity most years since 2004 and actually have produced four 50,000-word novels in that time. Below you’ll find all my submissions, including failed attempts.

The Novels

2001/02: The Four Doors

Not officially a NaNo novel, I wrote this during my senior year in high school and, alas, it clearly shows. It might be less agonizing than Burning Pilot…but it might not.

2004: Io’s Child

A truly painful and embarrassing attempt at retelling the Arthurian legend in space. Read only if you’re avoiding a root canal.

2005: Fifty-Word Stories

Inspired by an excellent book of 50-word stories, I decided to write 1,000 fifty-word stories. I failed.

2006: Really Bad Romance Novel

A young obituary writer agonizes over choosing between the good boy and the bad boy until her best friend takes the decision out of her hands. This may have been my most popular NaNo ever, but only because readers kept hoping for explicit scenes.

2007: Really Bad Action Novel

Phoenix Drake has to save the world again, this time from extreme environmentalists bent on destroying civilization to save the polar bears. Written in the grand tradition of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels.

2009: Really Bad Supernatural Teen Romance Novel

Tristan is just a normal high school boy with a normal high school boy’s desires: girls, friends, good grades, and, of course, fresh human braaaains. Written as a spoof on Twilight, most readers agreed that the historical half of the novel came off much better than the present-day half.

KF 06 Feb 2010