Character Sheets?

I haven't thought much about my NaNo since I signed up, but now that it starts in two days, I'm starting to wonder how I'm going to pull this thing off when I hardly know what I'm going to write about. I have a plot, but it's just a little, baby plot. It's not developed enough to write.

I thought about going ahead and just writing a historical fiction novel. I have a few ideas in that genre that would work, but when I really think about it, I wonder, What if I get stuck? I can't afford to get stuck and it makes me feel really bad when there are inaccuracies.

I also thought about fantasy. The problem is, I haven't written it for a while and don't think I'd be able to stick with it. I need to like what I'm writing--otherwise November is going to be just as miserable as it is crazy.

*goes off to think about plots*

I'm Still Trying to Figure Out If I've Lost My Mind, After All

It's amazing that, as soon as I say I'm not going to do something, I start to think about it and decide that maybe I can and should do it. Then I decide that I will do it, and after that, there's no turning back. I may procrastinate terribly, but I am pretty good at holding myself accountable for finishing what I've begun.

All right. So I'm doing NaNoWriMo. Big deal, right? NOT! It is a big deal when there's several other things you're trying to do at the same time. Writing 50,000 words in a single month when you're fifteen years old, in school, and already engaged in writing a short story and a full-length novel is no joke. It's throwing yourself in over your head. I don't think I'll drown, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to hyperventilate because I think I'm drowning. I always do that.

*sits back, tries to relax*

I've got more than one plot in mind, so I'll work of that. No historical fiction for this. Too much research, especially when you've got a thirty day time limit. So contemporary fiction, here I come!

There is a reason I'm doing this, contrary to the idea that I'm doing it simply because I can't stay to stay uninvolved when it comes to writing. I need to learn how to write quickly. I mean, I figure that when I'm a published author someday I'm going to have deadlines, and if I learn to be super efficient now then I'll be able to make the most of my time then. Going insane next month will help me, not hinder me.

I somehow managed to get my family's support in this. "You do what you feel you need to do," my parents said. When I asked them last year, they were like, "There's no way that you can do that and still get your schoolwork done. You'd better think through this really hard before you jump into it." I guess I've grown in the past year then. Yay!

Now I can't wait to get started. So begins my countdown to November 1!