How To Write A Novel… in One Month

I am going to write a book.

NaNoWriMo is a month-long novel writing challenge. It happens every year and gets tens of thousands of participants to, at the minimum, try to put a story down on paper (or a computer screen). This year, I’m throwing my proverbial hat into the ring and finally writing a novel.

It will probably be terrible. In fact, it’s kind of expected that the first draft of a NaNoWriMo piece will be shit. The point of the event is to the basis of what could be a decent story out into the open. From there, participants can take as long as they want to revise, rewrite, or burn copies of the original product.

In previous posts I’ve told tidbits of my brother’s story. I’m going to use NaNoWriMo to tell more of it. My novel will start out following the protagonist (whom I’ve named CJ) through a series of bad decisions that ultimately lead to his banishment from the state of Iowa. From there, I’ll use what I know about his time in Oklahoma as a basis for the middle section of the book, filling in details as needed. CJ will then return to Iowa upon turning 18. I’ve told bits and pieces of what will be the last chunk of the story. CJ will be trying to turn his life around with the help of his family and friends.

For now, I’m not sure if he’ll get some sort of happy ending or if things will be left a bit more open with CJ still struggling with the same problems he’s faced from the get go.

How do you think CJ’s story should end?

 

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