That time of year again

So it's that time of year again. NaNo begins on Saturday, and I've plans to attend the Toronto NaNo party on the 30th (much fun was had last year!), and musing on attending the Inner Critic on the 1st, where you make a playdough version of your inner critic to lock it up for a month, thus allowing you the freedom to run with words....frankly I think that's something I really should do, as I'm highly critical of my writing, and at times I get so bad about it, I find myself in a vicious block.

I wonder if it's against the 'rules' for me to smash my playdough inner critic should that happen? :) My loving husband has a nice hammer, it'd probably feel good to smash the inner critic until playdough splatters the walls.

Ah, the visual.

Anyways.....I'm hoping to be a thousand times better about keeping up this blog this year, really chronicaling my descent into madness and my efforts to create a ripping good story in 30 days. See, the first year, although I did not win NaNo (hell, I don't think I reached 6,000 words, never mind the requisite 50,000), I consider the story I started to have very good bones. I still toy with that one, and plan to eventually finish it.

Last year? *shudder* We shall never speak of that novel. It is the Novel That Shall Not Be Named. While I surpassed the 50,000 mark (thanks to participating in the Word War), it was an absolutely HORRIBLE attempt at stringing a story together. It shall NEVER be seen by the eyes of others and shall forever languish in the depths of the Gigabytes of my computer.

Although one day, when I stop with the pathological hate of it, I might pluck back the inital idea and start over.

Maybe.

This year, the story hit me out of the blue while watching a program on the Discovery (or was it the History?) channel about Robin Hood and the cultural impact the stories have had. Yes folks, I'm turning Robin Hood upside down. Good bye men running about the forest, hello women! I'm itching to write it. I've got my female Robin Hood all plotted out in my head, who she is, why she's in Sherwood, etc, etc. I've been diving into English laws of the era, and the social structure and I'm itching to start writing. I'm bouncing in anticipation for Nov 1.

This year, not only am I going to love my little tale, I'm going to surpass 50,000 and STILL love it. This year, I'm not going to bury my novel after the month is over! I'm actually going to let others see it, read it, comment and critic it! I'm going to continue on it!

Big goals.

Oh yeah, and I have to find the time to make my Christmas gifts too.

Maybe I should invest in some coffee companies?