Write a novel in a month

For all of the doubts I had about this skydiving-like leap into novel writing, I was incredibly pleased and satisfied on that final day when I bust 50,000 words.

I learned about exuberant imperfection and what it’s like to write that much in exploring a single idea.

Totally recommend it for anybody who wants to improve and grow as a writer. My characters surprised me and grew away from their one-dimensional beginnings. Everything about this experience was amazing and fulfilling.

Do it!

(Working title The Deadliest Cold Ever courtesy of a phone conversation with my almost-9-year-old brother)

I’m so glad I decided to do this. It’s a little tough hiding myself out in the studio when July is so damn beautiful in the Pacific Northwest, but I have managed to keep pace for the first 3 days. My characters are starting to take on lives of their own, everything is happening in interesting ways, and coffee is still a writer’s best friend.

• timeline of foregrounding events (outbreak, collapse of society, etc)
• character bios and backgrounds, descriptions, profiles
• outline of what needs to happen in the story