NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. (Don't be fooled by "national"; last I checked, there were participants from the U.S. and the U.K. and several other English-speaking countries.) In November, every writer who wants to tries to write 50,000 words in thirty days. It's quite grueling, and very, very hard. Not only to crank out 1,666 words, but to accept how bad your novel sucks.
Every NaNo sucks. Just accept it. It sucks because November is the only time of year where quantity comes before quality. That's hard for a writer to deal with. I know I had to fight valiantly against my OCD nature to revise. Writers have a tendency to sit down to write--and then end up reading what they've already written and change a few things. That's fine, but nothing got done. NaNoWriMo helps remedy that; in November, you can actually get some stuff done. Then you have all of December to edit.
Here are the basic rules of NaNoWriMo:
1) A NaNo sucks. Seriously, it's a rule.
2) NO EDITING. I'm watching you. XD
3) No rereading. This helps you to resist the temptation to break rule #2.
4) Don't procrastinate. I guess it isn't a rule, but it's very hard to make up three days' worth of slacking--5,000 words. That's ten pages.
5) KEEP WRITING. People usually hit the hypothetical wall around thirteen thousand, and then again at around twenty seven thousand, and once more at around thirty three. The only way to get passed the wall is to just keep writing. It sucks :) but you can do it.
Other than that, I don't think there's anything else holding you back. Knock yourself out.
If you are a student, like me, and have no time in November to participate in NaNoWriMo, you can always do JulNoWriMo. It's the same thing, except in July. I did JulNo. I wish I could've done it in November, but fifty thousand words in thirty days is still fifty thousand words, regardless of when. It's still quite an accomplishment.
~TF
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