When asked about writing a novel, most people assume that it is far beyond their expertise or ability. In all reality, writing a novel is not that difficult of a goal to achieve as long as proper steps are followed. Novel writing is not a high and mighty science passed down to the common people by a master on a mountaintop. It is a skill that can be mastered by almost anyone who has the dedication to see a tough project through.

But what about writing a novel in just a month? Isn't that a high expectation to make? Is it possible to really write a novel that is interesting in just 30 days? National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) has proven that it is not only possible, but fun as well.

In July of 1999 a small group of San Francisco Bay Area writers decided to attempt a month long noveling experience. http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/history The result of that one month of hard work began a quest to introduce the world to the idea of writing a 50,000 word novel in one month. Since July 1999 the program has exploded from 21 participants and six winners to 167,150 participants and 32,178 winners most recently in November of 2009. http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/mediakit The program has even added a Young Writer's program to encourage noveling for youth.

But what does this program have to do with your quest for noveling greatness? Everything! The ideas and concepts used in NaNoWriMo will be essential to you writing a novel in a month.

Proper planning can make the one-month noveling experience infinitely less painful. Think ahead to what you want to write about. Is your novel going to be a mystery, a thriller, a romance, more geared toward young adults? Think about these things ahead of time so you can get a good feel for the genre writing you will be doing before the clock starts ticking.

Create an outline of your story and refine this outline before you begin. This will save you much time and pain when you begin writing. Write out short summaries of each scene, including important characters, action, and dialogue that will happen in that scene. http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/novelamonth.html This will help you to write quickly what important things need to happen during each scene. Without much thought you'll be able to write each scene and its importance.

Before you even start the month, put your mind in the setting of writing, not editing. Remember, if you are going to write a 50,000 word novel in one month, you need to keep moving. This many words averages out to about 1,700 words per day. This is not a hard goal, but it is not one that you will be able to achieve if you are constantly going back and editing your work. Remember that this month you are focused on the writing: get the raw work out there and worry about the editing later.

The important thing to remember in this step is to streamline the process for the rest of your month of the writing. If during the course of the month you recognize that you will not have a chance to write on a particular day, any writing ahead that you can do prior to this will help you later on to not feel pressured to write when you can't. Anything you can do to make your life easier later on when you are under the pressure of the clock will be beneficial.

Consistency is the most important part of writing a novel in a month. Writing your daily quota early on in the day is the best thing you can do when trying to keep ahead in your writing. If you find yourself ahead of your daily goal, you might want to write ahead to make up for the days you fell behind or will fall behind. http://www.poewar.com/how-to-write-a-50000-word-novel-in-a-month/ Don't put yourself in a hole early on, it will only increase the likelihood that you will quit. Falling behind is one of the worst things you can do for your noveling endeavor.

Encourage yourself to write regularly each day, make it a part of your routine so that it simply fits into your day. When you find that writing regularly is simply another part of your day, you'll find that writing for longer stretches of time is easier. Help yourself by making this writing a habit. Don't give yourself a reason to quit: be consistent and you'll find it easier each day to write your quota and even move beyond it to help get ahead. Establish a few times throughout the day when it is easy or convenient to write. Try during your lunch hour, or as soon as you get up, or right before you head for bed. Each of these times is easy to remember and hard to miss. Be consistent!

Get involved in a community such as NaNoWriMo when taking on such a large challenge. You'll soon find that when writing against such a large goal, it can be easy to give up when you're on your own. Get involved with a writing forum that can encourage you in your quest for literary achievement. Writing forums usually have threads for writing suggestions if you find yourself struggling against writer's block. In these forums you can usually find suggestions for new characters, scenes, or plot ideas to keep your story moving along. http://writing-novels.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_write_a_novel_in_one_month

If you find it hard to reach your goal each day, consider forming an accountability partnership with a friend or fellow forum user. Challenge each other each day to continue to write, even when it is tough. Make sure that your friend keeps you accountable and that you do likewise. Knowing that someone else is keeping watch for you can often be enough to keep you moving even when you want to give up for the day. Keep your friend encouraged as well: remember that you're in this together!

Community is important to keep in mind as you work through to 50,000 words. It's a lofty goal, but having some friends to help you get there can be a big help along the way.

Sometimes you'll find yourself getting bogged down in your story as you attempt to write flowery prose or weighty dialogue. Oftentimes the best way to get out of such situations is to challenge yourself or others. Find a friend to challenge to a "word war." In this challenge you choose a specified time limit and write as many words as you can. At the end of the time limit, the writer with the most words wins! Finding another person to work against and with can often be the difference between success and failure in this one month noveling venture. http://www.poewar.com/how-to-write-a-50000-word-novel-in-a-month/

Challenge each other to write a certain amount of words by the end of the day and see who can get there first. Invest in these challenges perhaps by putting up a prize. This will really increase you and your friend's the desire to win! Keep interested in these challenges by being consistent with them as well. Keep challenging each other and soon you'll find that you will be at that day's word count goal. The important thing is not to worry about editing your work or thinking back to what you wrote previous. The whole point of this month's work is to get words down on the page. You can worry about editing later. Challenge yourself!