It's that time of year again - National Novel Writing Month - where a bunch of crazies register online and agree to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

That's about 1,667 words per day. Absolutely nutso.

This will be my 4th year participating. I feel compelled to participate, although I don't expect to finish for the first time. I have more grading than I've ever had before this semester, so I'm not sure I'll have the necessary stamina to pump out 6 or 7 pages of writing each day.

But I'll try my best.

My plot? I don't really have one right now. R and I had outlined the idea for a screenplay a few years ago. It's a loose outline; we went through all the scenes but we never began writing. Of course, that outline only exists in memory; I went through every notebook in the apartment to no avail. It might not have left Alaska when we moved.

Anyway, I remember why I liked the story idea in the first place, although I'm not suited to write it. Why?
1) It's set outside Albuquerque, New Mexico - a city I've only driven through. I've spent maybe a week tops in New Mexico. I don't think R has ever visited.
2) The main characters live on/near a reservation. I've never been on a reservation.
3) The main characters speak Spanish. Uhm.... no comprende.
4) The main character is a young boy. I have no insight into the mind of a young boy.

I guess that's why they call it FICTION writing. Actually, most writing teachers these days say to write what you already know, so based on that, this will be really bad.

The universal themes, however, might save us. They have to do with self-identification, self-esteem and loss. We're all over that.

I'll start a little column on the right to keep you updated as to my daily word count.

Right now, it's a big fat 0.

Ready, set, write!