I signed up for NaNo.

Honestly, who thought November would be a good month to have a contest that involves attempting to write 50,000 words?

Anyway, I've attempted this before and I'm sure I'll attempt it again. Because the majority of the writing I've done lately involves filling in name, address, and recommendation blocks on "fix your porch railing or we'll cancel your policy" letters to insurance clients, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month in an attempt to kick my own butt into gear. Now, I have the rest of the month to pick an idea, flesh out some characters and (gasp!) a plot, and get ready to start writing on November 1st.

My perennial problem when it comes to writing is the follow-through. I'll get a great idea and start writing, gung-ho. Then, something inconvenient like work or laundry or sleep or a shiny bird flying by will distract me and it fizzles out.

So I have about half a dozen solid, workable, most-likely-marketable ideas, but getting them from ideas to story is the issue. If I'm ever going to do the Creative Writing MFA and do something other than wish to be a writer, I will need to get over this follow-through fail.

Signing up was the first step in that direction, and choosing my idea will be the next. And hey, even if I don't make the full 50,000 words in November, it's worth starting to write again.

Find me here on the NaNo website!