November 1st means a lot of things to different groups of people. To Halloween lovers, it marks the official end of their beloved spooky season of frights and sweet treats. To Christmas lovers, it's when they can start blasting their playlists of Michael Buble and Mariah Carey everywhere they go. To Thanksgiving lovers, it's a time to finally get some darned peace between the two prior groups. But to writers, November 1st is something else.

Each November is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. Writers across the country gather up their story ideas, will, and whatever sacrifices necessary to make the recommended daily word count to finish an entire novel--start to finish, and at least 50,000 words--in thirty days.

Sounds imposing, no?

Well, as daunting as it sounds, thousands of people participate each year. Since the event's inception in 1999, participation in NaNoWriMo has increased from 21 participants to over 402,000 as of last year.

As a writer, NaNoWriMo has been and continues to be the quintessential challenge: finishing a novel. Not that I haven't finished stories and novels on my own time, but those were over the span of multiple months. How could I ever finish a whole novel, let alone a coherent one, in just thirty days? It seemed impossible. So impossible, in fact, that after signing up four years ago, during the fall of my freshman year of high school, I didn't write a word.

Until now.

Maybe it's symbolism of college and new beginnings, but I am committed to actually participating in NaNoWriMo this November and whatever that might entail. Whether I finish my novel or not, I'll be proud of myself for sticking to the daily word count suggestions and countless outlines. Regardless of completion, I'm one step closer to my dream.

Currently, NaNoWriMo has been going on for about a week. On average, by day six, Wrimos (the participants of NaNoWriMo) are projected to have written approximately 10,000 words to their stories. I am currently at approximately 13,500, and with each word I write and chapter I finish, which each time I spontaneously update my word count, I can feel my pride and satisfaction growing.

Because while NaNoWriMo is a challenge, it means so much more to me. It is a return to my passion for writing and creating. It is a chance to slip away from the stress and chaos of daily life--especially during college. It is a chance to hone my craft in the hopes that my dreams of becoming a published author are to come true someday.

NaNoWriMo is an opportunity above all else.

The journey to the outcome will be trying. It's full of obstacles and clear stretches, floods of inspiration and droughts of motivation, refills of drinks and daily-scheduled brain breaks. And even with all of the ups and downs that NaNoWriMo poses to its yearly participants, even with the tantalizing destination that is a completed novel of at least 50,000 words, the real magic of NaNoWriMo comes from the process and journey itself.

So grab your laptops, your journals, and whatever inspiration you may possess because this literary journey has only just begun.