On November first, at midnight, over 100,000 authors will dive into the National Novel Writing Month challenge. The TED office has been buzzing with NaNoWriMo excitement ever since we started on our NaNoWriMo issue of Between the Lines, but now it's reaching a fever pitch. Three staffers have signed on to the Novel-in-a-Month challenge, and at least two others are on the fence, so I thought this would be a good time to out our participants.

But first, a reminder:
To support the good works at the Office of Letters and Light (NaNoWriMo's nonprofit), we're extending our critique and fundraiser offer until December 31st. Want to see if your novel is on the right track, or get feedback on a particular point? For $35, a professional editor will review 10 pages of your manuscript and tell you what's working, what's not, and what you can do to make that section as compelling as possible. We'll donate $5 from every Manuscript Critique to NaNoWriMo (just let us know you're a NaNoWriMo participant). This service is available for fiction or nonfiction manuscripts at any stage of development, finished or unfinished, so you don't have to wait until your novel is done. Get feedback now and save yourself a lot of reworking later. With so many NaNoWriMo participants and fans on staff, we're uniquely suited to understand the challenges and general issues with 30-day novels.

Who's NaNoing this year?

I was the first to dive in, and since I've already won NaNo 7 times, I can't resist going for number 8. I generally write character driven science fiction or urban fantasy stories and this year is no exception. I'm going to be playing around in the universe of a favorite TV show of mine, and will be writing an original story that may or may not feature cameos from some of the show's more famous characters. The show's a guilty pleasure, so I won't mention the name here. I'll say that it's no longer on the air, and leave it at that.

Next up is Jane Ryder, assistant to Jesse Steele, and the woman who keeps things running smoothly in the Tucson office. She is attempting her first NaNoWriMo, and was finally convinced to take the plunge after reading Chris Baty's book for a Between the Lines article. She's keeping her plot and genre quiet, but I'll hit her up for details once the month is underway.

Another first timer is Karinya Funsett-Topping, the head of our Agent Matchmaking program. A recent spate of home repair troubles gave her a brilliant idea for a romantic novel that's destined to be a bestseller. There will be handsome cowboy contractors and an irresistible, adorable baby. Look for it on the the bestseller list of a major Romance publisher in 2011.

Good luck to everyone participating this year. See you at the finish line on November 30th!