I’m cdix1130, in case you're game

NANO!

This is where you return with an exuberant: WRIMO!

In case you haven’t heard, November is NANOWRIMO month. A month dedicated to all the overzealous novelists and novelist-wannabes of the world. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then may I direct you toward this website. (go go go go)

And, if the fact that I attempt to blog occasionally while trying to raise four kids and working full time ISN’T enough to convince you that I’m certifiably not right in the head, then this surely will — I’m revving my internal, environmentally-friendly engine in preparation for a month worth of unmistakably-loony, marathon-style novel writing.

If you, too, would like to come clean with your secret case of writer mental illness and care to join me for the sheer fun of participating in this rampant verbiage hoopla, go here and register and then let me know what you have chosen to call yourself so I can then add you to my buddy list. AND THEN we can make like my daughter Kyra and scream, “GO! GO! GO! GO!” at one another when things start to slow down in the word accumulation department. We could threaten to pop open one of them infamous cans of whoopass every time one or the other is caught spittin’ and pickin’ their noses instead of feverishly committing words to paper… or hard drive… or whatever you use as a word satchel. At the very least we could honk our virtual horns for shamelessly putting things like Christmas shopping and turkey preparation ahead of THE GOAL, which is to make 50,000 words in 30 days. If you are game, I am interested in being the pain in the ass who bugs you to get a move on. So long as you return the favor, of course.

And BEFORE you write this off as “not for you,” let me remind you that if you are a blogger who does more than post photos of your favorite places/people/objects of desire, then you are a WRITER and just as qualified as the next guy. Or bloke, if you prefer. On top of that, I’d be willing to bet some Cheetos and a Cherry Coke that at one time in your life you considered writing a book about something you’ve experienced, or WISHED you would experience, or would HATE to have experienced. And if you haven’t, then you SHOULD because I’ve read your stuff. If your words aren’t moving me to tears, they are tearing up my insides with laughter. Or making me think about what I eat. Or how I discipline. Or where NOT to go for discount shopping and tax preparation. In other words, you give good blog. You are a writer!!

And BEFORE you give me a “Yes, but…” Let me add that I know you are busy. Me too! There are leaves to rake and floors to mop and boogers to pick and TV shows to catch up on. But there are ALWAYS leaves to rake and floors to mop and boogers to pick and TV shows to catch up on. Okay, maybe there aren’t ALWAYS leaves to rake…But it’s November and just as good a time as any to give yourself permission to put everything ancillary aside for 30 glorious days… in the name of telling your story… without stopping to come up for air… guilt free because, you know, there’s this all-important deadline to meet. *cough cough* And then, come December first, you get the unbelievably-satisfying pleasure of saying, “I FINALLY ATTEMPTED TO WRITE THAT NOVEL I ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE!” I promise that those leaves and dirty floors, boogers and TV shows will STILL be there when you say it, too. Well… unless the leaves have already blown away. And boogers quit happening to you after that big ammonia spill in ’86. Oh, and your TV show happens to be Friday Night Lights. I hear that one’s on the chopping block. (Sorry! And, by the way, I hope I’m wrong because it’s been compared to good poetry.)

You have... *looks at calendar* ... FIVE days to mull it over.