April Madness. That's what I called my Book in a Month (BIAM) adventure. I must have been crazy to even contemplate writing a first draft of a book in one month. But that's what I did, and I lived to tell the tale.

It all started when I went to Barnes and Noble, wandered over to the writing how-to books and found NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM! by Chris Baty. The title caught my eye. I never know what's going to happen next in my books, so I thought--hey, this might be just what I need.

Little did I know . . .

We all had a mission: Turn off the internal editor, forget the rules and just write.

I read the book and discovered Baty was the guy who founded National Novel Writing Month. I'd heard of NaNoWriMo, but never considered participating. I'd also heard of Book in a Week. But thinking about writing a complete first draft of a book in one week made my stomach hurt.

Anyway, this happened in early March. I'd just finished rewriting a book (that's a whole 'nother story) and was going to start a new project on March fifteenth. Baty said if you were going to do BIAM, you should start on the first of the month because it was better psychologically. Right. As if anyone doing something like this was psychologically sound.

I decided to wait until April first to start my new project. Yes, I know that's April Fool's Day. I thought it quite apropos.

Baty also suggested telling everyone-family, friends, acquaintances, strangers on the street-what you were doing, so you'd be held accountable. And if you failed, you would be embarrassed and humiliated. Okay, so that's what I did. I was serious about this, damn it. I would not fail. I could not fail or I would be embarrassed and humiliated.

I announced my intentions at my next RWA meeting. I posted on several online loops and told all my friends on eHarlequin. com. To my surprise, many other writers wanted to join me in my crazy venture. I started a Yahoo Group and sent out invitations. Word spread and by the time April first came around, our BIAM Writathon had seventy members from all over the United States and Canada , England and Ireland , and one from Israel. How cool was that?

We all had a mission: Turn off the internal editor, forget the rules and just write. And write we did. We set up databases to track our progress. We had files with articles, books and websites chock full of writing tips. We conducted polls where we voted on various issues. There was even The Dungeon, a symbolic place where we locked away our internal editors, perfectionists and self-doubt. We conducted Writing Races several nights a week. The energy of the group was awesome; the support, encouragement and camaraderie was amazing.

And so began my mad adventure. Could I do it? Would I succeed? I prepared for the month-long writathon by stocking up on chocolate. Lots of chocolate. I also had my lucky talismans-a red cowboy hat and a purple magic scarf. Over my computer, I posted a list of everything I personally love in a book; another list of things I hate. I stuck sticky-notes all over the house: WRITE 12 + PAGES/DAY. JUST WRITE. WRITE SOME MORE. I'm a big believer in positive thinking. I also did my usual prewriting rituals. I keep a project notebook, do character profiles, brainstorm my plot points, do necessary research and make a collage.

I am an author-in-training. I don't know who coined that phrase, but as soon as I heard it, I knew that was me. I've read a bookcase full of howto books, listened to hundreds of RWA Conference tapes, and attended I don't know how many workshops and seminars. I've learned a lot. I've learned so much in fact, that all those writing rules and techniques were paralyzing my ability to set words down on paper. POV. GMC. Internal conflict. External conflict. Rules for this. Rules for that. Rules that contradicted each other. What's a writer to do?

That's where the beauty of BIAM comes in. You write just for the sheer fun of it. You recapture the joy of writing and telling a story again. Letting your imagination run free and wild. Forget the rules and just write. Write, write and write some more. By giving yourself permission to write fast and make mistakes, you find the freedom to discover your story from beginning to end. You know you can fix, tweak and polish your manuscript to your heart's content AFTER you finish the first draft. It's just a first draft. Anything goes.

Let me tell you, it's damned hard to turn off that internal editor. Many BIAMers had a tough time doing it. I had a tough time, too. Everyday, I printed out what I'd written, so I wouldn't edit too much the next day (I'm cheap and hate to waste paper and ink cartridges). Because I couldn't completely turn off the internal editor, I forced myself to concentrate on the bare bones of the story. I kept reminding myself I could flesh it out, layer in stuff like description later. In May.

During the writathon, I was thankful I had a support group. There were times I had doubts I'd ever finish. Times when I was in the depths of despair. Luckily, I could go online and moan and groan and whine and cry. There was always someone there to give me encouragement and a swift cyber-kick in the derriere when needed. Every day, I faithfully posted my progress or lack thereof. Seeing other people's progress spurred me on. We celebrated every little accomplishment, every success. And we sympathized and empathized over each disappointment and setback.

Everyone who participated in BIAM was a winner. No matter how much they wrote or how much they accomplished, the main objective was to write. I'm happy to say I finished my rough first draft. I wrote two-hundred and eighty-eight pages in twenty-eight days. When I wrote THE END, I knew I'd done something very special.

The April Madness Book in a Month Writathon was a great experience for me. I learned a lot about myself and my writing process. I've been writing a long time. This was my ninth completed manuscript. Never before had I been so focused or so deep into my story and characters. I'd never gotten into The Zone. I'd never eaten so much chocolate in my life either. Before BIAM, I would never have believed I could write ten or more pages a day, seven days a week. I will never again be satisfied by only writing my usual four pages.

April Madness changed me as a writer. It gave me confidence in my ability and my process. It made me a believer in the power of a deadline. I've released my internal editor from The Dungeon and she's having a field day, happily picking apart my sentences and fleshing out the story, reminding me of all the rules and techniques that go into a successful marketable novel.

Will I do it again? You bet. I'm planning to host another BIAM Writathon in the fall. Anyone care to join me for September Mania?

Anne Marie Novark is a retired stay-at-home-mom, busily pursuing her love of writing and dream of publishing. She writes long contemporaries and Regency historicals and is happily married to her high school sweetheart, who happens to be her own special hero.

Copyright © 2005 Anne Marie Novark. All rights reserved. Used with permission.