Last November, 2011, I entered a challenge, to write 50,000 words of a novel in just 30 days.  The 30 days of November.  It turns out, even though I’d never heard of it until just two weeks before November 1st, that several tens of thousands of people had heard of it.  Not just heard of it but participated.

I’d dabbled, of course, who hasn’t.  But seriously, I never got more than a chapter or so.  I just had no clue how to go about it.  My daughter, the one who challenged me, by the way to enter this challenge, had a book on a way to write a novel.  I read the thing in just a couple of days and given my understanding of it, planned out my novel.

I’d always heard that you should write what you know.  I did, in a way.  I wrote about a segment of our society that really bugged me, the serious take over of our food by mega corporations.  I ‘won’ the challenge.  That is, I wrote over 60,000 words by the end of November.  I got a prize.  If I could get the novel revised by the end of June 2012, I could get 5 free copies of it.

Hoo!  My next step was how to revise a novel.  That’s another post.  Let it suffice to say that I was hooked.  I had a path, I had developed resources and contacts.  I had an avenue of expression that I never had access to before.  I haven’t stopped since.

So, if you’re thinking of writing a book.  Look around.  There are books and other resources out there that will tell you how to go about it.  Find the one method that works for you and write what you’re passionate about.  I’ve over 55, it’s never too late.