Within the first two weeks, the puppy had stumbled upon some lose within reach.  I came in to see him swallow the shiny objects from off the end table.  When I informed my parents, they informed me I would need to make sure the change came back out from my dog.

To say this would be a shitty chore would be both an understatement and a really bad pun.

Over the next few days, I found myself perusing the bowl movements of my dog, trying to find any silver or copper in the pile of feces that he produced.  Eventually all the coins were accounted for, and eventually my puppy ran away.

So how does the story of a boy and his dog tie-in with Novel writing month?  While talking to a number of people that planed to join me in this endeavor, I heard the same phrase used numerous times.

“I can shit out a novel in a month.”

The phrase kept reappearing from various people.  All I could imagine was the doggy turds of my youth.  Would I shit out a novel in Nov?  If so, a month later when I went to edit would I have to search and search through piles of shit for one little piece of silver?

As NaNoWriMo approached I began to have second thoughts.  When I completed the competition a few years back, I had already written the novel completely in my mind.  I knew every aspect of it, all the characters by name, and every sequence that would take place.  Coming into NaNoWriMo the past few years, there was only a general idea.  The same was true this year.

November arrived, and while I still had some hesitation and not nearly enough background for my own good, I decided to give it a start.  Within minutes I had fallen in love with the characters and knew there was no way I would let my novel become crap.  I am as excited to see where the story is going as anyone who may someday accidentally read it.

I’m sure the others that made the comments felt the same way about their novels – it was just a phrase.  To me NaNoWriMo is about scheduling the time to actually work on something – even if it does not get completed.  With all the other responsibilities we all have, sometimes just making the time to concentrate on something you enjoy is all that is needed.

That being said, I plan to write and complete one hellula novel this month.  No shit.

Word count entering Wednesday, Nov. 4 – 1,022.  A long way to go.

It started harmless enough – an excuse to sit down and devote my attention to he rough novel idea I had been kicking around for a couple of years.  So began my initial journey through National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo as participants call it) in November of 2005.

As the month sped past, I managed to juggle school, work, and a social life while transcribing the ideas that floated through my head for years.  The concepts made their way to my computer screen, and by November 30th I completed my novel and “Won”  NaNoWriMo.

Little did I know that was only the beginning.

As fall arrived a year later, I was a full time grad student working on the side.  Still, I was determined to try  NaNoWriMo again.  Too many ideas and too little time killed my attempt early on.  Last year, over 100,000 individuals started NaNoWriMo, with 15,333 people finishing their novel.  I was in in the 85 percent that did not finish.

So here I am on the eve of November 1st.  The need to fill the addiction that started three years ago has resurfaced.   Talking with other past participants, I’ve learned it is an obsession.  Most want to try again, regardless of their results last year.

This year I am prepared.  I’ve formulated my concept, envisioned the characters, and have a rough story idea planned.  Still, this does not guarantee success.

However, like most addicts, I think this time might be different.  Maybe I will succeed this year.  Maybe I can finish the month with a smile on my face rather than a feeling of disappointment.

The insanity begins at 12:01 a.m. Tomorrow morning, but I plan to begin after I recover from the Dane101 Halloween Party.  I’ll need to average 1,667 words per day to complete my quest.  To some this may sound easy;  other impossible – but needless to say it will define my life for the next 30 days.

I know there are others out there like me – others that will attempt to create a story from nothing in November.  Post your story in the comments.  Also, I plan to update my progress weekly on my blog MidwesternBoy.com.  Feel free to check it out for details.

“Win or lose, you rock for even trying” – ‘How NaNoWriMo Works (in Ten Easy Steps)‘