NaNoWriMo time is upon us!

Of course this is only tangentially related to game development, but one thing you'll find as my blog matures is that I love a game with a good story. However, good storytelling in games is a different beast than good storytelling in books. For one thing, only perfectly linear games have stories that translate reasonable well to books. For another, you don't get to simply act out the battle scenes in books.

Anyway, to get to the point, November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. You might think to yourself, why would anyone want to write a novel in a month? Well, ask the more than 100,000 people that participate every year. I suspect that a large number of game developers -- especially those interested in story-heavy genres -- have thought about it at one point in their lives. Just like the time-limited game development competitions, NaNoWriMo challenges you to get those creative juices flowing. Put your fingers to the keyboard and don't lift them up until you've reached your goal.

That goal is 50,000 words. In 30 days. That's 1,667 words per day every day of the month. A daunting goal to be sure, but over 20,000 people manage it. Sometimes they are established authors, but mostly they are just normal people like yourselves. Whether you start with a detailed outline or a blank file, there is fun to be had.

The perpetrator of this month of debauchery, Chris Baty, provides this guide to success:
No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days