Dana Sez, "You're Crazy! Do It Anyway."

You're contemplating doing NaNo.  You're actually thinking you'll subject yourself to 30 days of frantic writing and feverish word counts, the sleep-deprivation and the wild swings between ecstasy and despair.

Are you nuts?

Yes.

Do it anyway.

As a three-time survivor of NaNo (although only once officially), I can tell you there's nothing like it for motivation.  Even if what you write that month is 50,000 words of unpublishable drivel, you've still gotten something of worth out of the process.  You'll have found ways to carve out writing time you never suspected existed.  You've met a deadline.  You've survived the blood, toil, sweat and tears to squeeze out that 50,000th word, which means you can do it again, and again, and again, until a big fat novel is whole and complete in your hands.  You've proved something to yourself.  You've been a writer, damn it.

And it feels good.

You may wonder, if NaNo's all that and a box of chocolates, why I always swear "Never again!"  It's because it's a damned lot of insanely hard work and I like being dramatic about it.  Besides, this year, I'm not wanting to tear attention away from ye olde current project, and ye olde current project does not fit NaNo's criteria.  My current project and I are going to take it nice and easy while the rest of you sweat.

I say that now.  But for the last two years, I've ended up shadowing NaNo, writing 50,000 words whether they fit the criteria or no, so don't be surprised if you see me running alongside the NaNoThonners.  If you don't want to become an official participant, there's always that option, you know.

Go.  Do NaNo.  Do it for yourself and your craft and your bragging rights.  Do it to give yourself that desperately-needed shot in the arm. 

And afterward, yes, I'll have the tequila shots lined up.  Or other shots, if tequila's not your friend.  We shall drink to 50,000 words in 30 days.

It's crazy.  But it'll be worth it.