NANO Squared

Dearest Writing Colleagues,

I assume many of you are, like me, going through that November rite of passage known as National Novel Writing Month (NANO). Congratulations on your decision to undertake the challenge. It's great that you're so committed to your work. But if you're like me, that whole "book in a month" thing can feel a bit like a wool scarf that's been knotted a little too tightly right about now, on day five ....

My remedy? I'm not just NANOing, I'm kicking it up a notch and going for NANO Squared - working on two huge projects simultaneously. I'm writing my new YA novel, but in order to keep myself sane (I mean interested in doing something other than slumping in front of the television when I'm not hunkered down in front of the computer) I am also writing a screenplay based on my already published novel, "Matching Wits With Venus". Why? So that I can take the pressure off of obsessing over turning out a full book in one month.

I'm trying to apply that old maxim, "If you want something done, give it to a busy person" to finally get myself to complete my screenplay. I figure I've got leverage with this whole NANO WRI MO thing going; my family expects me to be insane for pretty much the entire month of November, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day (life's not worth living without the Macy's Parade).

So if you're beginning to fizzle out, take a page out of my book and add a new project into the mix. After all, the commitment free month of December is only three and a half weeks away.