Why NaNoWriMo is like my book cover

I love NaNoWrimo. A whole bunch of people come together and for 30 days, they write their hearts out in hopes of reaching the coveted 50,000-word mark. They don't really have much to gain from it. Just a silly novel and the chance to see that novel as a book they can actually see and hold in their hands.

While that can be pretty cool, and enough to motivate you to keep going, NaNoWriMo is so much more than that. It's a community of creative people who come together to do something crazy.

It's a bunch of people who say, "Hey, let's create something new and see what we come up with."

They sit down, they write, and they have a blast doing it.

You know what? I love people like that. They're fun, and when I read their blog posts and facebook updates and tweets, it makes me want to do a happy dance. Because there are really cool people out there doing something just because it's a challenge and it's fun.

I was just thinking about all the folks who are designing a book cover for THE FAIRY TALE TRAP. Some of them are strangers, but I'm cheering for them. It wasn't until today that I stopped to consider why. Why do I care if somebody I've never met creates a great cover, especially if it doesn't win?

Because they're crazy. They don't have much to gain by entering the contest. Just a silly novel. ;) I mean sure, there's the Amazon gift card and the chance to see your work on an actual book.

But this contest is so much more than that.

These complete strangers are creating something new, to see what they can come up with. And even though it's a really small community, hearing from them and what they're doing is exciting.

Because I think the world is a better place when we say, "Hey, let's create something new and see what we come up with."