NaNoWriMo2017… here we go again! Good lord, I think I’m addicted!

Why else would a sane (by most accounts) person put themselves through this?

The adrenaline rush of November 1st morphs into self-doubt by the 15th, and by the 20th when validation begins, NaNoWriMo seems like the stupidest thing to come along since Big Mouth Billy Bass, the singing fish.

And yet, we trip over ourselves to register every year. Gluttons for punishment (like me) even enter the camps in April and July.

But it is SO worth it!

I’ve learned a lot. Writing voice, writing styles, show vs. tell, passive voice… are more than simple phrases authors throw out to sound smart. (Um…I’ll leave that alone.)

These are just some of the elements needed to write an interesting book.

NaNoWriMo also reinforces the point that even pantsers need a plan. (Calm down, pantsers!)

I was a die-hard pantser–and it worked for me for years. But then, I was writing for myself, church bulletins, PTA newsletters, and fanfic.

Pantsing almost worked for during my first NaNoWriMo challenge. But after reaching 38K, I was like, “Uh…I got nothing.”

I learned the benefits of prepping and for this challenge I began in August.

While I may not plot out every location, scene or dialogue, I do write an outline, character sketches, and scene outlines.

Does it work for me? To some extent. But after one day, two scenes, five pages and 1901 words, I already have TWO full pages of changes.

On to day two.