Preparing for the month

I'm taking part in National Novel Writing Month again. This makes it the fifth year out of six that I've done so. In 2007, I was in England for half the month, and without easy access to a reliable computer. I tried to make up for it by writing in January and February (I was planning on completing a novel for my wife for Valentine's day), but it didn't work out. The artificial external restriction of November wasn't there, and I was too forgiving of myself in missing the deadline.

This is what's most worthwhile about NaNoWriMo for me. The fact that so many people are doing it at the same time - starting at the same time, and ending at the same time - makes it much harder to quit. I have horrible self discipline, and having something external to keep me on task is a wonderful thing. If I make it as a proper writer, one of the things I'm most looking forward to is deadlines, proper "do this by four weeks from now or you have to give all the money back" deadlines. They will scare the pants from under me, and that's what I need. Creativity through structure is how I thrive.

The community helps as more than just a deadline, too. I went to a kick-off party on Friday, and the sheer wonderful range of people united by a single interest was incredible. Men, women, from all walks of life. People from the first half of their teens and the second half of their fifties, into science fiction, fantasy, manga, contemporary fiction, comedy, all united by one thing: they were going to write a novel in November. There's nothing like that enthusiasm for keeping you going. There's nothing like a community to make you a better writer.

I'm hopefully going to attend some write-ins during the process. I think this coul end up being one of the best things I've written.

I'll do a post closer to the time about the novel itself. I just wanted to enthuse about the process for a bit.