Despite the dark forces of Fall (committee meetings, homework helping, sports practices and the damned day job) conspiring to prevent it, I have managed to make great progress on the research and outline for my novel WiP. I’ve received great feedback (from honest-to-god writers) concerning the concept, characters and plot. I really like how things are coming together.

But I’m not writing.

And I want to do some writing.

Now.

So, instead of rushing to finish up the first part of the outline so I can join the caffeine-crazed masses pounding out 1,667 words per day, I’m going to skip NaNoWriMo, keep working on the outline. But I am going to write.

I have a handful of short stories that I want to write and one, in particular, that I want to rewrite for submission to the Toronto Star / Humber School For Writers contest in February. To get myself in the groove (and because I finished Peter Darbyshire’s brilliantly fun The Mona Lisa Sacrifice), I have have pulled some neglected short collections from the shelves. And, since it is October, it is all a little on the dark side.

So, NoNaNoWriMo for me!