For some people, reading a novel in a month might be daunting.
This November, a dozen Magic Valley residents are tackling something much harder - writing a novel of at least 50,000 words in 30 days.
"You have this artificial deadline, so you push yourself," said Terry West, who is coordinating this year's Twin Falls chapter of National Novel Writing Month with his sister, Danae West. Without that impetus, he said, "You can just sit down and write a book, but it can take forever because you don't have anything to make you go."
Of the 12 area writers who have signed up for NaNoWriMo, as participants call it, eight showed up at the kickoff party at Moxie Java Tuscany in Twin Falls.
Maddy Fehlman came with a problem. "I've had writer's block for three straight years, so I'm hoping this will help me get over it," she said. As the evening wore on, her fingers clacked away on the keys of her laptop, a good sign that the block was being lifted.
Some of the participants are writing a first book, while others came looking for motivation to write more. Just talking to other writers can be motivating, said Stephanie Shackleford.
"There's never been a local group," she said. "Being around other people energizes me, so I thought it would spur me to write more."
Terry and Danae West started the chapter last year, but they were the only two participants. Both finished novels, however, and look forward to repeating the feat this year. According to Terry West, about 65 percent of participants worldwide reach the 50,000-word goal - that's the number of words considered minimum by the publishing industry for a full-length novel. And NaNoWriMo is growing fast, with participation nearly doubling each year worldwide.
Although the first week of November is past, there is still time to participate, Terry West said.
"If you're one of those people who has always had a little voice inside you saying you can write a novel, this is your chance to do it."
He plans to have weekly writing meetings of the participants, likely at the coffee shop, but no specific dates or times are set yet. Sign up at
www.nanowrimo.org to connect with the Twin Falls group.
Ariel Hansen may be reached at 735-3376 or ariel.hansen@lee.net.
