It’s that time of year again!

No I don’t mean Christmas or Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Easter or any number of the other days that are highlights in our world. This time is really only important if you are a writer – or an aspiring writer. Then this time of year just might cause your heart to race with joy and anticipation. Although, for the exact same reason, you heart may stall and your fingers freeze with fear as you face a dreaded nemesis.

What time of year am I talking about? NaNoWriMo.

This is the time when millions of us certifiable nutcases sign up to write 50,000 words on a brand new project before the end of the month of November. Yes, the same month you started in – NOT November 30 of a year later (nice try though )

Why this insanity? Why this craze to the finish line? Well there are all kinds of reasons why.

1. You know you can be a bestselling author by December 1^st if you could just get those words down –  uhmmm maybe, but so not likely. But hey go for it!
2. Your life is boring and doing NaNo will shake you up and out of your isolation. Again, uhmmm – not really. Getting 50,000 words down on a manuscript tends to keep you isolated and definitely boring to others! But hey go for it!
3. You want to be a part of some sport but you’re a computer nerd and this is the closest you can get. Uhm okay, but I think computer gaming is closer to being a sport than writing! But hey, go for it!

Then there are the reasons why I participate in NaNo every year –

1. To focus my attention on one single important writing project that guarantees me getting down a lot of words in a short amount of time. I’m planning on writing book 5 of the Psychic Vision series this month (at least as much of it as I can!) Maddy’s Floor, as an example, was a previous NaNo novel. Deadly Designs was last year’s NaNo project. Who knows what I can create this year.
2. To get out of the way of my internal editor and let my creative half rule. Considering that I’ve been in revision hell for a looooong time, this will be interesting! Wonder if my creative side WANTS to come out and play or if it’s happy living in a coma!
3. To join into a massive worldwide event that is sheer fun! Remember at the beginning of this post about being a certifiable nutcase – yeah that’s me!

Don’t kid yourself though – these books required a lot of revising to get into a publishable state. But after NaNo there is no feeling like having a complete project to shine into gold.

Having done NaNo for many years and having won the challenge each and every time, I know I can do this. For me it’s not about the challenge. It’s about the opportunity.This system is NOT for everyone. I know wonderful writers who can’t write this way. That’s because we’re all different.

I love NaNo. And if this sounds like something for you, it’s not too late! Check out http://www.nanowrimo.org and sign up.