Flexing some (other) creativity muscles...

 Next month I will be participating in my very first NaNoWriMo! What is this absurdly long string of abbreviations, you ask? Well, November is National Novel Writing Month; a time when fellow writers and creatives come together in a friendly environment to write 50,000 words (from start to finish) in 30 days.

That's right folks- one novel, 30 days, start to finish.

 
 Your biggest opponent is yourself, and the only way to "win" is to meet your goal! The real challenge is coming up with an original concept then seeing it through -  just like any illustration/drawing/painting/animation. Whatever your medium is, whether you're writing or painting, animating, sculpting or dancing, it is crucial that you are always telling a story. A two-dimensional "static" drawing becomes a scene from a character's life when developed with a story in mind.

 For more information about the NaNoWriMo, visit: www.nanowrimo.org

 For some really great storytelling tips, check out "Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling"

  Between my personal studies and various projects, I plan to begin my novel writing journey on the first of November and maintain my word count goal of "2k-a-day" until the midnight deadline on November 30th! I encourage everyone to at least attempt this challenge, it's not about winning or losing or writing the next great American novel - it's about exercising our often forgotten creative writing and storytelling muscles, so that they will grow stronger and help improve other aspects of our creative work.

Now, get out there and get those story juices flowing!