Here I Go ... Again

All right, I’ve decided. I’m going to do it again. That is, NaNoWriMo. Here’s why:

1. My good writing buddy and precious friend Jenna left me this very convincing comment (my decision has more to do with her eloquent understanding of NaNo’s worth, not the bribe. Really.)
2. I decided that I should use NaNo as a “reward” to motivate me to get things as wrapped up as possible with the anthology I’m editing so that I can focus on writing in November, even with the anthology manuscript due in December. Luckily, my co-editor has been very supportive in my sudden determination to pick up the pace and has joined me.
3. I had an inspiring conversation with my younger sister that clarified how I could use NaNo as an opportunity to experiment with an idea that’s been in the back of my head for a few years … and it’s not the idea I thought I would be pursuing for this year’s NaNo.
4. I realized I just need to get over my “Fear of Failure” already. Because every year that I haven’t done NaNo, it’s because I’m afraid I won’t make that 50,000-word goal. It’s hard, and it took its toll on me the last two times I attempted it (my first year NaNo-ing was deceptively easy). And you know what? Maybe I won’t make it this year. But that’s NOT a good enough reason not to start. If I participate, even if I don’t make the goal, I’ll still have accomplished more, whether it’s 2,000 words or 20,000 or 50,000, than I would without it. So, take that, you perfectionist, overly-goal-oriented self.