Isn't modern technology wonderful--until it isn't? We had Internet connection issues that dragged on for more than a week before resolution. I'm still tired from spending literally hours on the phone with tech support. Whew.

But I'm back up and running just in time to jump right in and try my hand at writing a novel in a month. November is National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org), where you can win a "prize" by banging out a 50,000-word book in 30 days. The emphasis is on quantity rather than quality, granted, but there's something to be said for just getting it done.

Worrying too much about the craft or quality of something can become a hindrance if it stops you from actually getting the project done. Sometimes, everyone suffers from "writer's block"--even if you're not a writer. Whatever keeps you from starting that project or task or whatever because you don't have all your ducks in a row can be a block.

As a writer, I learned early on just to start writing, whether or not I had a lede or intro to my piece or not. Often, my articles start after the first few paragraphs, jumping to the meat of the story. Sometimes, my conclusions wait until the rest of the article is complete.

It will be interesting to not worry about the grammar or the content when tackling this project. I'm looking forward to seeing how writing 50,000 words in a month will jumpstart my creative juices again--and hopefully, I'll have something worth revisiting with my editor's pen.

Until next time,

Sarah