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If you travel the Internet at all, you’ve probably encountered the strange word NaNoWriMo. As you may have guessed, it’s an abbreviation, a krasis if you will, of November is National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is an organization and a group of people who commit themselves to writing 50,000 words of fiction - the equivalent of a short novel - in the month of November. If you succeed in doing this, you “win.”

I’m a winner from 2006 and I highly encourage anyone with the slightest interest in improving their writing or creative skills to sign up and participate.

Why Would I Want to Do That To Myself?
It may sound intimidating to write 50,000 words in 30 days, but really it’s only 1667 words per day.

Okay, that’s still crazy - but that’s the point.

By committing to pushing out so many words in such a short period of time you are forced to silence your inner critic. You know that voice, the one that tells you that your ideas are foolish and you shouldn’t even bother to start because you’re doomed, DOOMED to fail? Well, that voice doesn’t even have a chance to catch its breath before you’ve gotten through chapter 3 when you’re a NaNoWriMo writer.

Will I Write the Great American Novel?
Not a chance. You’ll write what Anne Lamott elegantly called a “shitty first draft.” And it will be bad. I mean horrifyingly, cringe-inducing bad.

But it will be great. Because you’ve done it. Once you get to the finish line and print out your winner’s certificate, you will have proven to yourself that writer’s block is a myth. That you don’t have to “feel” like it to be creative and that is worth all the pain and suffering and late nights.

How Does This Help With Change?
I’ve written before about analysis paralysis. It’s a disease that many of us suffer from, and I’m just as guilty as anyone else. Over time, experiences like NaNoWriMo can teach us that Just. Doing. Something. is worth more than all of the planning-to-plan in the world. Sure you’ll make mistakes and leave lots of broken things and casualties along the way, but at least you’ll have started.

I haven’t even started cleaning up the mess of my NaNoWriMo draft, and honestly I may never finish it, but I know that I have enough raw material to create something that someone will want to read.

When the clock strikes midnight NaNoWriMo 2007 will begin. Head over to the site right now and start typing your words!

Joanne at I’m Happy Fish has tagged me to reveal 8 completely random facts about me. Here goes:

1. I’m a Gemini and, boy do I feel it. I’m so good at seeing two sides to every situation that it can be paralyzing. That’s why Rock, Paper, Scissors is so important to me!
2. My father’s parents were born in Poland and survived World War II in labor camps in Germany. I like to think I’m made from tough stuff.
3. I broke my toe once just by stubbing it really hard on my bed frame.
4. I still own my Transformers and Masters of the Universe toys from my childhood. Anyone interested in purchasing a Battle Armor He-Man?
5. Kurt Vonnegut is my hero. I had the chance to hear him speak when I was an undergrad. He assigned us to all write a poem with rhyming couplets that very evening and said, “We don’t do art to make money. We do it to make our souls grow.”
6. I “won” NaNoWriMo last year. Still haven’t finished the story, though.
7. I’m always on the lookout for new lentil recipes.
8. I once got to pet a cheetah.

So, there you have it. Since it’s my obligation to pass the meme on, I’m tagging:

• Brooke at Plain Advice
• Leigh at All for Women
• Pamela Slim at Escape from Cubicle Nation
• Henrik at The Positivity Blog
• and, just to see what happens, Steve Pavlina