Mac or PC? Or, like, paper?

As of today, November 2011 is six days away. And to some Chippewa Valley writers, this precipitous final week of October means less about Halloween than it does about gearing up for the massive exercise in creative writing called National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short). It's free to join.

The rules are simple: Not a second before midnight Nov. 1, start writing a 50,000-word unedited manuscript for a novel to be finished before the month is over. That makes for a daily quota of 1667 words. As a 2009 NaNoWriMo winner, I will tell you the project is easy to get behind on, tempting to quit at a moment's notice, and unparalleled in its sense of achievement upon finishing.

What started in 1999 in San Francisco with 21 people saw in 2010 more than 200,000 registered writers. NaNoWriMo has chapters all around the world, including one for the Eau Claire area.

While the official website provides forums for each chapter, Eau Claire's chapter also has its own FaceBook group. Past members include everyone from high schoolers to retirees. The members host and participate in group write-ins and other events to make the novel writing process more friendly, social and supportive.

If NaNoWriMo piques your interest, there is still time to register for the challenge. Visit the official website, join the FaceBook group, and consider attending the Kick Off Party, 4:30-6:30pm this Friday, Oct. 28 at Pizza Plus/The Bottle & Barrel (208 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire).