It's November...
And that means writing month!
It seems odd to start it this way, on this day… this very, very busy day. We are hosting a weekend-long, retreat-style event at work this weekend, so I am hosting my brother, his wife, their child, and their dog. My dad is also in town. I took Friday off of work to get a few projects done on the house we are under contract for, and then we are kicking off the retreat this evening.
It’s also the first day of National Novel Writing Month. I am not, by any means, going to try to put together a fictional novel this month. However, I announced that I was doing, “Preptober”, which meant I dedicated October to the researching and prepping of the manuscript which I do hope to write throughout this month.
October got away from me. Rather easily, I might add. It started with a work trip where I had very little time to read, write, or prep. And then we had family visit. And then I prepared for the retreat. I also worked a ton at my real job. But I read and prepped as much as I could.
Yesterday I started on my manuscript. The goal is to get 50,000 words written throughout November. I have written… 500. So far, not off to a good start, but hey. Starting a project beats not starting at all.
Will this book be published?
I honestly have no idea, but I hope so. I don’t think I will finish it, by any means, in November. But if I could get 50,000 words written, then that would put me on a good track to maybe get it to an agent sometime next year. I don’t know how it all works out, but I know God has put a book on my heart and that’s why I want to write it. That’s why I need to write it.
This is to say that I will be using this platform and this column as a writing blog to share my progress throughout the month. The reason is simple: I believe God created us to be creative. And this is my way to be creative—my way to ‘answer the call’.
So please, grab a chair, and a cup of coffee, and join me.