The Restless Writers were considering participating in NaNoWriMo this year. But one lingering bout with the flu, one schedule so busy that peeing had to be optional, and one flood of new freelance work all added up to a resounding not this year.
This doesn’t mean we’re not writing. We just have to do without the accountability, tips and motivational supports built into the NaNoWriMo community.
For those of you like us who are not part of the NaNo tsunami, here are some reasons why this month is still a great time to write:
10. We’re fresh off the flight from SiWC. Time to leverage that motivation into some ambitious word counts.
9. No-one’s getting any younger.
8. It’s getting cold outside, but it’s nice and toasty in front of your computer.
7. You won’t feel bad when you see those “Wrimos” tweeting their daily word counts, because you’ll be holding your own. (P.S. Tweets count…don’t they?)
6. Tweeting word counts—and not embellishing—will give you a warm fuzzy feeling, like a snifter of Drambuie.
5. Even though Scrivener for Windows isn’t yet available, now is a great time to check out some other software, like PageFour, RoughDraft and WriteWay Pro and see what you want to put on your Christmas wish list. See more options here.
4. What else will you do during the post-Halloween and pre-Christmas shopping and party marathons?
3. You still have two months to reach those writing goals you set for yourself last New Year’s. (Unless you’re @RestlessBJas, and you set your goals in September.)
2. There are no more reality show finales to distract you.
1. You’re a writer. This is your calling. Today is just another day that you have the chance to bring your stories to the world. So get to it!
Good luck to Wrimos and non-Wrimos alike!
Maria
PS: This was our 100th post. Cue the balloons, party hats, and wine in a box!
Andrea
bjas
Sharon
Maria
Restless Writers 
Great post! I think #10 is saying a lot for me. November is a great writing month. Never done the nano thing, but tweeting your wordcount has worked for me. A little bit of ‘public shame’ as Ivan would say.
Congrats on number 100 Restless Writers!
I hear you about the “public shame” notion. It’s like having a huge writing group keeping tabs on you…
Woohoo. 100! I’m sending you a virtual marching band.
November is a good writing month for me because I usually finish my 10,000 words of report card comments in October.
Looking forward to the next 100!
I wish all kinds of things could be considered in my word counts: comments on blogs, writing for work, Christmas cards… Thanks for the happy-100th greeting!
Great post. #3 hits home with me. My goal was to begin querying this year…
Thanks Karla. If your goal is just to begin querying, researching your markets or even sending out one query is a great start. Best wishes for you and your writing!
Yeah….. ummm, about those goals I set in September…