At this time of year, aspiring writers around the globe take a collective gulp of air and consider taking on the beast that is NaNoWriMo.

National Novel Writing Month celebrates it’s 15th birthday this year. It is an internet based, community driven writing project that takes place annually during the month of November.

The end goal? To start and complete an entire novel within 30 days.

It’s been said that everyone has a book inside them, but it hasn’t been written yet. Many people use NaNoWriMo as a platform to kickstart that process, and use the momentum and community to compel them to go from idea to completed rough manuscript – 50,000 words no less.

It’s an incredibly exciting prospect to consider with many benefits, not least:

• Unleashing your (hidden) creative talent.
• Honing your discipline. It’s not easy to commit to almost 2,000 words per day.
• Leveraging the power of the community network and meeting new acquaintances on a similar path.
• The excitement generated from watching your characters unfold in your very own daily soap opera.
• Time management. Staying the course means making sacrifices. Skipping one day means writing double the subsequent day. Incorporating writing into your daily routine is paramount to success.
• The incredible sense of accomplishment from creating and completing a huge task which many people have only ever dreamed about.

I’ve been so wrapped up in the daily grind of work, that writing has taken a back seat in recent months. I love writing, which is why I want it to become a daily part of my life again. NaNoWriMo will help hold me accountable and direct my energies into what’s most important again – my passion.

I’ve signed up for the challenge. An idea has been bubbling around in my head for months that I want to explore. The character is already etched out in my mind and I see him centre stage, staring up into the spotlight of my thought beam awaiting command.

I can’t wait to get started and see where the adventure takes us.