It's hard to believe, but NaNoWriMo, my favorite form of writing insanity, is only two months away. I mentioned The Big Project and I've been working on the outlines (almost done with #5 now), and I believe that this will be my core work for NaNo this year.



Unless I decide to do something else.



You see, that's the joy of NaNo. You don't have to take it seriously. You can go into it with a dozen outlines ready, character sheets enough to fill a book on their own, and your mind focused on the masterpiece you always wanted to write.



Or you can leap in without any preparation, write about zombie ninjas and the crusade of the Monkey King, and it doesn't matter.



NaNoWriMo is about freeing yourself from whatever it is that is holding you back from leaping out there and writing from your heart. You may write silly stuff. You may write things that you will never, ever, ever show to another human being -- but that's all right. They are things to get out of your system. Now is the time to do it.



Or perhaps you just want to try a new genre. You may get 10,000 words into it and give up, but that's okay, too. NaNoWriMo is about experimentation and trying something new -- whether that is trying a different kind of story than you usually do, or even trying to write a novel for the first time.



If you decide to take part in NaNo, you are going to hear negative things. Friends and family will tell you what a waste of time it is. Total strangers will rant and rave about the link between NaNo and the fall of civilization as we know it, because apparently thousands of people using their brains during November (rather than, say, going out and drinking every night), is the worst thing that has ever happen.



This is for you. This is your time. You deserve it. Don't worry about the 50k mark. Don't worry about anything but letting your muse loose for a little fun. Outline if you want. Don't if you don't want to. There is no right or wrong in NaNo --



Except, perhaps, to not let yourself do it because of what others might think. It's your world and your writing. Here's a chance to take control and have fun.



I'll see you on the NaNo Boards.