Let's Go NaNo

NaNoWriMo, or the National Novel Writing Month to the uninitiated, is just a week away. I plan on trying my luck again this year - I won last year by the skin of my teeth by essentially by rewriting large portions of the story for the last 10,000 words. I hope to have the new IF in a demo mode by then, because I probably won't be writing on it during NaNo, but a totally different story instead. I had thought about doing a screenplay for BlindSight, but have reconsidered.

My biggest problem will be if my allergies keep up. It's been hard to remain focused when I'm having trouble breathing and/or high on Sudafed. Either way, NaNo isn't about the winning, it's about having the excuse to write. It doesn't have to be good, or complete, or even readable - it's a good goal just to have something there. Critics of NaNo claim they belittle the apparently high art of novel writing.

I say it's better to have anything rather than just having a blank page and anyone who thinks that building a community around writing should be exclusive only to those serious enough about it to want it as a profession should shut the hell up and worry about their deadlines.

Which reminds me, The Girl forwarded Write Around The Block yesterday and it looks worthy of investigation. It's a reader review collective that explicitly leaves commercial aspects aside - so no worrying about spam or people pushing you to POD everything. There are entry fees, but also prizes, so take it for what it is.


So consider this my usual disclaimer. If Cathode Tan looks a little abandoned, check your calendar. It's probably November. I'll post a link to the new novel blog later.