NaNoWriMo Day 1: Report from the Frontlines

In all my "National Writing Encouragement Day" excitement last week, I forgot to mention that I'd signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) myself this year, a quest of literary insanity in which participants from all over the world compete against the clock to write a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. That translates into a daily writing average of 1,667 words — not necessarily good words. Just words.

I tried NaNo twice before — failed miserably. Wait. I take that back. I didn't...