NaNoWriMo

So for the past week or so, I'd been thinking of participating in NaNoWriMo. For those who mistakenly think I just spasmed while typing, rest assured: I'm convulsion free; this is just an abbreviation of National Novel Writing Month. I didn't have terribly long to decide, because NaNoWriMo starts in November, which somehow, inexplicably, is just 3 days away. Seriously, how is it almost November? How is 2010 almost over? Anyway.

You have 30 days to write a novel that is at least 50,000 words long. Obviously most people just use this as an exercise in getting themselves into the practice of writing regularly (a very commendable thing), but some people really do take it seriously and I'm sure many folks actually get a good bulk of usable material out of it.

Why would I subject myself to the insanity (because let's face it, that's what it is) of trying to write 50,000 cohesive words in 30 days? Partly it's because I've sort of always wanted to try NaNoWriMo. Partly it's because November is my birthday month and that makes me excited. But for the most part, because I've been doing NO writing for myself, other than this blog (and even that petered out for a few months there), for the past FIVE YEARS. It's pretty sad, but I've just not made time for myself and my writing projects, even though I love writing and have wanted to write a book since I was 5 years old. I'm one of those people who has a half-finished novel languishing in a drawer somewhere, except that it's not even close to being half finished and it's not in a drawer, just on my hard drive. So I have to do SOMETHING. Honestly, what do I have to lose? Even if I fail to meet the word count, the time I spend writing won't be a waste because it'll be time I used to write, getting my brain and body used to the feeling of putting words down.

This is why I have just signed up to participate. I suppose I am certifiably insane. Or as certifiably insane as the thousands of other people who have signed up for this.

But this is a year that seems particularly significant to me. I've started a job doing what I really love, I'm feeling comfortable about myself emotionally and physically, I'm turning 30. I'm finally starting to feel like I get it. Like things are falling into place somehow. It's tough for me to describe (which must mean something, since I'm a writer and descriptions are my job), but I just have this feeling that is saying, yes, go ahead and do this crazy thing! So I've gone ahead and done it. Hopefully I will be feeling sane enough to actually post regular updates on here about how I'm doing with this.

If you want to join in the insanity, click on the link in the first paragraph and join in the wackiness. Insanity loves company, right? At least when it's the insanity related to writing a novel in a month.

Now I just have to figure out what to write about...