NaNoWriMo and Verisimilitude

I wrote a novel in 2007. Yup, an honest-to-goodness novel. The novel was called "Verisimilitude," and while there's very little chance you'll ever read it, I can honestly say creating that novel was the best writing experience I've ever had. That's why every year at this time, I sing the praises of National Novel Writing Month to anyone who will listen.

National Novel Writing Month, more commonly known as NaNoWriMo, is an annual event where people around the world take up the challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days. Between November 1st and November 30th, participants write an average of 1700 words per day, which means there's no time for editing, spellchecking or second-guessing--and that's what makes NaNoWrimo such a great experience--you just create. Think about it--when was the last time you created something with no concern for whether or not it was any good? Probably never. Most creatives are perfectionists when it comes to what they do, and because of that, we can sometimes be our own worst enemies. What NaNoWriMo does is allows writers to practice their craft in a very focused way, with an emphasis on output. All the polishing comes later on, if ever. NaNoWriMo is about proving to yourself that you can create, and taking part in NaNoWriMo  kick-started all of the creative projects I've been involved with since 2007. I cannot recommend NaNoWriMo enough, and everyone should take the challenge at least once. I seriously considered taking the plunge again this year, but I have several writing projects I'm working on right now, which is a good thing. I've no doubt I will participate again however, as it's a great tune-up for writing skills.

As for the novel I wrote, I actually have a copy of it sitting right here next to me (the image in this post is the actual cover for the book). The folks at CreateSpace gave all of the 2007 winners a free proof copy of their novel. My plan is to eventually edit the heck out of the book, polish it up, and then either publish it or adapt it into a graphic novel script. There's also an outside chance I may try to edit the book chapter by chapter, and post each revised chapter on the site here. We'll see...

As it stands right now, "Verisimilitude" (which was just a working title, BTW) was a b-movie style horror story that has ties to Robert Chambers' horror classic "The King in Yellow." Here's the cheesy synopsis from the back cover of the book:

"When Melotte Pharmaceutical moves into the economically challenged city of Springfield, residents see it as a godsend. But while the economy is turning around, something sinister is happening with the city's homeless population. When four friends stumble onto the company's true intentions, they have to figure out a way to bring the truth to light before they become the latest to disappear."

Oooohhhh! Scary, isn't it?