Greetings, friends! It’s that time again… You know the one. The glorious highs and soul-sucking despair, the crushing doubt, the caffeine, the neglect of your family, the manic laughter, the joy of squeezing out JUST ONE MORE WORD.

Oh. I’m talking about National Novel Writing Month. Obviously.

I’ll be participating in NaNo this year. I can’t remember if I tried last year. I’m guessing yes… probably? And the year before I started with one book and ended up with another. But the year before… ah, glorious 2011… I used November to wrap up the book that later landed me an agent.

I’m not a NaNo purist: I don’t write an entire book in 30 days. I’m also not convinced that anyone can pump out 50,000 words with a beginning, middle, and end, and call that a NOVEL, but that’s probably a different issue.

What I love about NaNoWriMo is the the spirit of the thing: professional and hobby writers all over the country coming together to write all the words. I love the NaNo survival kits, I love the late-night Twitter sprints, I love the mania of writing words while preparing for Thanksgiving. I love all of it.

So this year, I’ll be joining NaNo in the grand tradition of my 2011 success, and I’ll use the month to finish my current book. It’s a short book, and well-outlined, so I think I can do it. I’ll also be outlining my next book, which is not short and is currently little more than a concept and some scribblings in the tiny notebook I carry in my purse. With any luck, and a lot of dedication, I’ll enter December with 90% of one novel and a stable jumping-off point for my new work.

*takes deep breath*

Whew. Lofty goals. If I finish NaNo, I’ll be sitting pretty at about 200,000 words (of fiction only!) written this year. Not too shabby.

In the next week, I’ll put up a few posts containing my meager NaNoWriMo tips. I’m no expert, but I have a few recommended strategies that may help you reach your goals. Hell, they may even help me reach my goals! Let’s see what happens.

This brings us to the really big question: Are YOU NaNo-ing this year? If yes, what’s your goal? If no, why not?!

If you are joining the crowd of maniacs, feel free to look me up and buddy me. My username is Kristin Lynn, and I’m always looking for new friends.