As most of us know NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is fast approaching. The "rules" for NaNo are pretty clear, begin a new project on November 1st and write 50,000 words by the end of the month. But not everyone follows these rules. And since there isn't actually anyone judging or checking on you, does it really matter?
I personally don't think so. In the past I have always followed the rules. I love looking at that white page at midnight on the first and thinking about all words about to fill it. I had intended on continuing that tradition this year. I even have an idea all figured out.
Then, with just two weeks left to go, I sat down at my computer to work on my current WIP. I am right smack in the middle of a novel, and I love it. I'm having fun and the words are flowing. That's when I realized, did it really make sense to stop working on something that's going so well? Not really.
So this year I will be a rebel. I will start the month working on my current novel. If that goes well I'll start my original NaNo plan a few weeks in. I will not count any of the word written before November. But I also won't be starting fresh.
I felt a little weird about this at first, but then I thought, what is NaNo really about? Is it about starting something new? Or getting words on the page? I tend to lean towards the second one. So here I am, just as excited to start NaNo as I have been every year.
What are your NaNo plans this year? Are you a rebel too?