It happens every year. I hear about it in October, I try to come up with something days before Halloween and I crash and burn only a couple of days into November.

Yes, my friends. The answer to the riddle is NaNoWriMo.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an annual event with a simple premise: write a 50,000-word novel in one month. That's roughly the length of The Great Gatsby and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, if you need some perspective. The event draws writers around the world with the idea that anyone can write an novel and get a head start by the end of November. It's a dream come true.

Of course, it's not a perfect plan. To win at the end of November, one would have to write about 1,667 words a day. The event is also this month, the month of Thanksgiving, the start of the holidays, the build-up to finals week, etc. November is a hectic time of the year, and yet during all the chaos, you somehow have to write a novel. There are a good amount of winners, but there are also a lot of losers.

I am the latter. I do not stick with it at all. At first I do. I get a little too enthusiastic, actually; I think up of an idea, start my project on November 1, and then life, school and my own innate nature drag me away from the project forever. As of this writing, I haven't written my 1,667 words today. I will probably not go back to it and spend the rest of November regretting that I bragged so much to my friends about "this being my year."

I am not alone, I think. There are plenty of people who want to spend time writing something grand, the next "Great American Novel" or the next bestseller. Or they just want to have people read their work and enjoy and remember their stories. Whatever the motives for joining, it can be tough to stick with the routine. I envy those who are able to tough it out for the entire month. It takes a good amount of willpower, time management and passion to write that much in a short span of time.

But even if you're the person that writes only 1,000 words and then throws their laptop out the window in defeat, there's still something to gain from NaNoWriMo. We all want to get better at our craft, at our passions. We all have the drive to make our fantasies a reality. But the execution of it can go in any direction. What matters is what you take from the experience and carry with you for the rest of your life. You failed a test. Are you going to give up on the class or are you going to make sure you study for next time? You burned a cake. Are you never going to bake again or are you going to remember to take the cake out of the oven at the right time? The best case scenario is that we remember the lessons we learned more so than the mistakes.

As for what I've learned from NaNoWriMo, I now know that I'm good at coming up with ideas and thinking them out, but I'm not so good at actually putting them into practice. Regardless, I still hope to try to at least write some more of my project this month. I might not get to 50,000 words, but maybe I can get to a smaller goal. Or maybe I'll try to write my novel over the next year, and take my time writing it. Whatever my next step is, I want it to be positive. I can't give up on writing now, I've worked too hard to let it go.

I recommend trying NaNoWriMo when you get a chance. It's great practice in endurance, and you may come out with an ongoing project of your dreams (or a mass of papers to burn at the fireplace). If you can't participate this month, there are "Camp NaNoWriMo" sessions in April and August. You don't even have to write a novel; you can write whatever you want! Just come up with an idea, or take an idea you've had rattling in your head for awhile, and give a shot. You never know what you're capable of.