So, Prep starts in two days, and I haven't decided my project yet.

I have a big list of ideas, but none of them are begging to be written. What IS begging to be written is the novel series I started back in 2008, and I'm leaning towards continuing my work on that.

The original book (Poor Witch) started as a short story that turned into a chapter because it wrote itself that way. It was incredibly popular, more so than anything I've ever written. I decided to turn it into a novel. In 2008, I griped that I needed a contest or activity to help me organize the project, but no such thing existed. Thus was born the Prep in 2008, but I was too busy figuring out logistics to personally participate.

In 2009, I Prepped and NaNo'd Poor Witch.

In 2010, I was too busy to run the Prep and participate, because I had quit my corporate job and just launched a new small business (Grand Opening Sept. 26th 2010) and was managing that in addition to running the Prep.

In 2011, I decided, screw that. I'm participating, and the Prep started to magically take on a life of its own and run itself. I wrote a novel that I don't hate, but I definitely don't love it, either. It's on the back burner as a "someday-I-might-try-to-salvage-this-idea" project. The problem is the genre - I tried to build a novel around an idea that's important to me (music, and how it makes you feel), and it's just too serious. It's not my style. I do much better at lighthearted comedy targeting younger audiences. Guess what? Prep and NaNo 2011 taught me my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. It was a huge breakthrough for me.

In 2012, I went back to my original project, because it obviously works for me, and I really enjoy the story. The project was Poor Witch 2 (titles were never my strength, LOL), and my outline was sensational. Unfortunately, 50k took me barely over halfway through my planned outline.

I think I just talked myself into my NaNo 2013 project. I had this in my head, but I needed to solidify it. I didn't finish writing my 2012 project, so it obviously needs to be written. Maybe I'll re-divvy up the "acts" and make this year's portion Poor Witch 3 (clever, I know.) Maybe I'll continue the story into some new plot twists and turns. Maybe I'll write the whole thing over again, and it will be more concise this time. I already know I have some plot problems that need to be rewritten. I'm not sure what exactly NaNo will bring, but that's the point of the Prep. By Nov. 1st, I'll know. In the meantime, I'll get to know my characters again; get to know them better; introduce new characters, settings, subplots; throw all kinds of new conflicts at my protagonists (another one of my weaknesses - I am *way* too nice to my protagonists.) I'll be happier with the finished product, and I'll learn new things about my writing.

If I didn't have Prep and NaNo, I would probably not write anything at all this year, because I am busy expanding my business (Grand Opening Sept. 15, 2013 - is my timing impeccable or what??) Prep and NaNo have become traditions, and I'm going to take them and use them to my advantage. I'm going to write this year, because that's what I do in October and November every year.

Regards,
Michelle