Admit it: you've always wanted to write the Great American Novel. Even if you've never read a great American novel, you've probably at some point had an idea that sparked your imagination, that had you daydreaming of book tours and signings, appearances on Good Morning, America and a paycheck to rival J.K. Rowling's.

While I can't promise you any of that (least of all Rowling's unfathomable salary), I can tell you how to become a novelist. Will you get published? Probably not. Will you get paid? That's an even less likely scenario. Will you have an amazing time and emerge with a sense of achievement unlike anything you've ever known? Oh, heavens yes.

How is this possible? NaNoWriMo, of course! "NaNoWri-wha??" you ask. National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is the brainchild of Chris Baty, the author of No Plot? No Problem! and a one-time aspiring author with a million ideas and no motivation to get them down on paper. His idea -- create a month for writers (even those who've never strung together more than an email) to compose their novel... and make it a contest. The goal: to write 50,000 words from midnight November 1st to midnight November 30th. Sound impossible? Yeah, it kind of is. Sound completely, totally, terrifyingly, straight-jacket insane? Yeah, that too. Is it worth it?? Every single second, every single word.

Baty stresses that you should go into NaNoWriMo with a positive outlook, an ability to turn off the evil "Inner Editor," and one heck of a healthy sense of humor (because around the second week of November, you're going to need it). Those who sign up for NaNo will get weekly pep talk emails from Baty, which contain such motivating paragraphs as: "You will also, however, write some flagrantly nonsensical chapters, create pages and pages of dialogue that make you cry (in a bad way), and endure a few shameful days where the only thing keeping your word-count afloat is the fact that your protagonist has a habit of reading the dictionary aloud whenever she gets nervous. And she's always nervous." And that, according to Baty, is okay. Not all novelists scribble their ideas down on paper and immediately go down in the annals of literature as a living legend. In fact, very few, if any, ever do. You have to try and fail, and try and fail again, and then maybe do it a few more times, just for good measure. That's what NaNo is about -- attempting something you never imagined you could do... striving for the impossible, and sometimes, achieving it. Even if you only get a fraction of the way to the goal, you've likely written more than most people ever will.

So if you reach the 50,000 word goal, what do you win? Er... self-respect? Something you can lord over friends and family as you tell them over the holidays, in a haughty voice, that you've "written a novel"? The smug sense of satisfaction that comes with knowing you've proven all the naysayers wrong, including yourself? Yeah, all of that. Plus, a nifty certificate, and the opportunity to have a proof copy of your manuscript printed by CreateSpace for free.

So how do you sign up for this magical month of literary possibility? It's easy -- all you have to do is go here and create a profile. Then, you can connect with other WriMos, browse the forums (otherwise known as Procrastination Station), update your word count, and a whole lot more. Even better, you'll become a part of a community that's 100,000 strong around the globe. You'll meet writers of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds... and all sharing a common love of the written word. And don't worry -- it's only November 2nd, so you'll have plenty of time to catch up. Chris Baty has broken NaNoWriMo down into an easily managable system of working toward a 1,667 word goal a day. If you start now, you won't have any problem banging out that extra fifteen hundred and change.

If you're looking for local support for NaNoWriMo, all you have to do is check out the WriMo forum for the Dayton region, here. You can contact the municipal liaison here, and find out the latest information about writing sessions and parties (WriMos LOVE a good party). You can also contact the Word's Worth Writing Center in Oakwood. They're holding a NaNoWriMo session tomorrow, November 3rd... but if you can't sign up, you can still get plenty of writing information at their website, and sign up for future workshops and events. And stay tuned, you'll be hearing more about them here in the future.

In conclusion, please allow me to sum up the things you do NOT have to be in order to participate and enjoy NaNoWriMo. 1. Unemployed. 2. A raving lunatic. 3. A particularly talented writer. 4. A sick, torture-loving masochist. Now how about the things you DO need to have? 1. A positive outlook. 2. A sense of adventure. 3. The ability to laugh in the face of complete and utter failure. 4. The belief that maybe, just maybe, you can achieve something bigger than you ever imagined. 5. Hot chocolate (that last is totally optional; I just find it much easier to write when I'm jacked up on sugar and caffeine... you'll find a lot of WriMos feel the same way).

So, what are you waiting for? Get writing! You never know, you really could be the next J.K. Rowling (and when those royalty checks start rolling in, please, please remember who first inspired you to give NaNo a shot. Please).