To Nano or not to Nano

November is fast approaching, which for the last 6 years has meant setting out to write a novel of 50,000 words. For the last 3 years I've been successful (success measured entirely quantitatively) and it's something I look forward to every October. The organization that...er...organizes it is an excellent galvanizer of creativity and acerbic wit and for a month I'm surrounded by fellow dreamers, united in an unreasonable quest whose success gains us no prize except pride. Plus it gives me an excuse to sit around in coffee shops and shirk my other responsibilities.

Unfortunately, with a new school year and way more homework than I've ever had before, NaNoWriMo is looking unlikely. One possibility is to go for 25,000 words instead of the more winnerly 50,000.

I highly suggest to anyone not currently in school or with an undemanding job to try it out this year. It's a lot of fun, free, and at the end you're left with an enormous Word document filled with a month's worth of creativity. You can't really lose (and if you do fail to write 50,000 words, you'll be in great company).