Scenting NaNo in the Air

It's coming up on that time of year again--when writers and would-be writers whisper amongst themselves, "Are you doing NaNo this year?"

I think I debated the question with myself for all of about, oh, an hour. I have goals I've set for the next year and I really need something to get me unstuck so I can meet them. I'm hoping the boost I'll get from participating in NaNoWriMo will be just the thing I need.

NaNo, or NaNoWriMo, for the uninitiated, is shorthand for National Novel Writing Month, an activity that, despite the "National" in its name, actually takes place world-wide every November. My first NaNo was in 2003 and this will be my sixth year participating (I didn't sign up last year). I've made it to 50,000 words twice. In 2003 I made it to over 75,000 words before November 30th rolled around. So I know I can make this work for me.

In fact, I'm looking forward to it.