NaNoWriMo -OR- NaNoBlogMo: That is the ?

November is National Novel Writing Month -or, alternately, National Novel Blogging Month. If a person commits to doing this, the object is to write 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30, 2004. This is the equivalent of a 175 page book. I am thinking about doing it.

Thinking. About. Doing. It.

Do I have a novel in me? I have started a few novels. I have had LOTS of ideas for novels. I have written a couple of short stories. I am much better at playwriting. When I think about plays, I think of them as novels with everything but the dialogue removed. Of course, stage directions are somewhat like the non-dialogue details of novels. But novels intimidate me because there are just so many damned words to write.

Enter my blog. I have been regularly clocking between 750 and 1200+ words in a blog post. That's not bad. I would need to do 1600-1700 daily to get 50,000 words in a month. But I think writing this blog has shown me that I can do that.

Next problem is a plot and characters - something to write about. I have a lot of "stuff" but is any of it ready to coalesce into a novel? I just don't know.

Cat Aside: My cat Jack is up on the desk trying to distract me from writing. He weighs over 20 pounds, so he can be a distraction. Especially when he walks on the keyboard, purrs in my ear, nibbles on my neck - hell, he's as good as Michael at that ...

If - and it's a big if - I do this, should I blog it? That is a little daunting, to let people see my possibly fumbling efforts to write a book on-line. It's likely to be awful. The theory the NaNoWriMo people go on is "Quantity, not quality." Polish it up later. So it would be raw stuff.

Also, I would have to suspend this blog for a while, because I don't think I can write a 50,000 word novel and keep up regular posts besides. (Although I might be surprised.)

I am seriously thinking about doing this. I could use feedback. If you've been reading my blog at all, you have a sense of me as a writer. What do you think? Should I go for it? Would you want to see any of it along the way? Would you be upset if I suspended my blog for a month?

Your opinions count, so let me know.

Ciao.