As I type this far ahead of time in anticipation of my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) participation, I’m thinking nearly constantly about what I want to write. I’ve still got nearly the whole of October, though, so I’m silly to be so obsessed.

All the same, it’s led me to wonder just what defines a novel. The word is a noun, obviously. Answers.com offers these definitions:
1. A fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters.
2. The literary genre represented by novels.

The word is also an adjective: Strikingly new, unusual, or different.

More than anything, I would say this defines what I really want to produce next month. Let’s hope I’m well on my way. Happy writing and/or reading to you!