1. Nanowrimo begins TODAY!!!!!!!!!! I hope you’ve all set aside time, informed your family and friends, and stolen adequate candy from your children because, you know, the whole family has to sacrifice for art.
2. Kyra posted VALUABLE information about your daily wordcount. Just because I am so happy she did the math for me, I’m posting again:
If you write every day of the month, you need to write: 1,666.66667 words per day
If you write six days a week, you need to write: 1,923.07692 words per day
If you want weekends off, you need to write: 2,272.72727 words per day
The key to success with writing really is taking it day by day. Sitting down in that chair and just doing it. There are so many excuses, so many reasons why we can’t write, we’re too busy, too tired, too hungry, too depressed, too happy, whatever. This month, give yourself permission to do it. To really and truly write. To write a really bad first draft is a wonderful first draft because it’s a framework. That’s all you’re going for.
3. I’m also doing this lazyman ironman thing that my sister talked me into. It’s basically completing an ironman (something people like Mette Ivie Harrison do in one day) over the course of a month. I never swim for multiple reasons so this may be good material for my novel. Who wants to do it with me? You know you want to have fifty five thousand things to do in the month of November. It’s normal and natural.
4. And finally, I entered this contest for a fancy oven thing. I never win anything. Because I never win and because I’m a high achiever, I’ve decided to add one more month-long challenge to my docket. Every day I’m going to enter a contest that I will lose. When you think about it, that’s quite a bit more challenging than writing ten pages OR swimming twenty miles. I may need your help. If you know of any contests I can enter, please send them along. If I enter a contest every day in November, I’m going to reward myself by starting more contests on this blog.
So the recap: nanowrimo starts today. So does the lazyman ironman. So does my own personal enter-a-contest-I-won’t-win-a-day challenge. Who’s with me? Pick one or all three. Or maybe just pick one. The first one. Popcorn and Candy for everyone!!!!!
Throwing Up Words 
I sat down to start Nano and am already distracted by THE BLOGS. It’s gonna be a tough month. I might actually do the iron man thing. Maybe. I don’t know.
i’m starting nanowrimo but didn’t actually sign up on their site because that’s just one more website i’m avoiding this month.
amazon.com is having their wishlist sweepstakes from now until december. add one thing to your wishlist each week and you’re entered to win the weekly drawing of 2500 in gift cards. does that count as a contest? i say yes. and it helps me figure out christmas shopping so it’s a win.
I am doing NaNo this year too. Last year I did it. I wrote 2000 words a day seven days a week. This meant that the week of Thanksgiving I had off, which was nice. This year, I’ll do my best to keep the same schedule. If anyone wants to be NaNo buddies, I’m Emily Idon on the NaNo site.
Also, the ironman thing sounds doable. I definitely couldn’t pull a Mette Ivie, of course, but over a month…maybe.
I’m doing NaNo too–but I’m not signing up for it, either. I’m just doing it. A couple of my kiddos are going to do a simplified version, so we can cheer each other on.
Shar, the amazon wishlist sweepstakes thing sounds like a good idea to me:).
I think you should walk through the grocery store looking for candy bars that say they have enter to win codes inside the wrapper. Then you get candy in the process! I’m also doing NaNoWriMo. I’m a little behind right now, but a couple people are coming over today to all catch up together. The iron man thing sounds like fun, but my job is so exhausting already that I don’t think I’ll have the time or motivation. I want more writing buddies. Be my buddy? My WriMo name is SaMMiJo.