For the last two years, I’ve signed up to National Novel Writing Month and failed miserably.

In 2007 I did actually write 6-7,000 words of nonsense, largely as an exercise in having an idea as my writing muscles had near-irretrievably seized up. Last year I did nothing at all. The ideas were not flowing and I just didn’t have the time.

Having done nothing with the Monster Book since the epic 10,000+ word writing marathon at the Urban Writers Retreat, I’ve decided it’s time to go back to it. Now, NaNoWriMo prohibits use of pre-written prose as the idea is to freely write whatever and not be tied up in feelings about characters, yadda, yadda, yadda. But I’d rather have an idea I really want to work on and use it as an excuse to get a little further down that track than stare at the empty screen until I get thoroughly miserable and then ignore it until, oh, next May or something. So even if I nail the 50,000, I can’t win. That said, if I nail the 50,000 I’ll probably have finished the bugger and that’s a much bigger win than a snazzy web badge and PDF certificate will ever, ever be.

I plan to use the UWR to help me actually do this, too, if there are any sessions left this year. (There are). Plus this year I know more other people doing it and can use The Guilt to spur me on.