With the Click of a Button...

I'm officially a Novel Writer now.  Or at least I will be at 12:01 a.m. on November 1st.

What the Hell have I done?  And why do I allow myself to be influenced by my friends?   Apparently teen peer pressure is still a concern when you are in your late 40's.

With the click of a "sign up now" button, I have turned myself into an excited, nervous wreck.  What did I sign up for, you ask?  This:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

November is national writer's month and the great folks at National Novel Writer's Month have an annual challenge/contest.  The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.  It's free to sign up and the only prize is the exhilaration of success.  It sounds like a blast.  It sounds like pure torture.  It sounds like being water boarded with champagne.  Want to join me?  All it takes is the click of a button...

Do you know what's funny?  I'm not the least bit concerned about what I'll write about.  Well, okay, maybe a teeny tiny bit concerned about that, but really, who cares.  I'll be writing 50,000 words in 30 days.  It's expected to be total garbage.  It's basically a 30 day timed write and timed writes are never expected to be great.  What I'm worried about is the timing.  I mean, it's happening in November.  The time of year when every single waking thought and most of my dreams are centered on Christmas.  I get so excited about Christmas that I can think of nothing else for the entire month of November, and frankly, most of October too.  Ok, let me be honest.  It's July, it's 100+ degrees outside and I'm already starting to get that Christmas tingle.  How am I going to write a novel when all I can think about is Christmas?  Well, at least I guess I know what my setting will be.

My other concern is Etsy.  I just opened a shop on Etsy and although my shelves are completely bare at the moment, I plan to be their number one seller by the end of September.  By Christmas, I will be so successful that my husband can retire and I can stop looking for a job.  There'll even be that big sailboat I want tied up to our dock.  Which means we'll have bought a new house on tidal water.  I've got a lot to do between now and Christmas.  How in the Hell am I going to write a novel while I'm busily selling my   crafts & shopping for houses and sailboats?  Oh, and let's not forget how busy I'll be making the items to sell.  Sheesh.  November is going to be a VERY busy month.

On a totally different note, I don't think I like the word "crafts."  In my mind, "crafts" implies pipe cleaners & popsicle sticks.  But what's an alternate word?  "Art?"  I'm not sure what I knit can be considered "art."  But then, if I'm going to be top seller & buy that house on tidal water and that big sailboat within five months, I guess I better have a change in attitude.  So, I'm officially an artist and a soon to be novelist.  Yeah, I could get used to that.