What is this that stands before me?

Yes, I did steal this title post from a Black Sabbath song. Good for you for recognizing it.

With National Novel Writing Month mere days away, a specter of fear and foolishness casts a long shadow across my hearth.  Alas, this specter shall be no match for my hale and hearty army of provisions, resources, and outright dirty tricks.

I have playlists. Over the last year or so, I have identified 45 minutes as a very productive time period. With 45 minute playlists in iTunes, I don’t need to be an anxious clock watcher. Just keep typing as long as there is sound in the headphones. When it’s over, hit save and walk away. I’ve earned 15 minutes to eat, drink, stretch, nap or chat with the cat.

I have snacks. Salty ones, sugary ones, even healthy ones. Last Christmas while enjoying a bounty of seasonal chocolate gifts, I hypothesized it may be possible to live on a diet of Toblerone and beer. No time like the present. I think a nice dark beer would be best, something with iron and a full complement of B vitamins. Guinness – are you looking to sponsor anyone? Kilkenny? Brewers of the world, I can lower my standards to ‘as long as it’s cold,’ if that helps.

I have lists. Lists of books I like and why. Lists of admirable characters and loathsome characters. Lists of science websites that feature the cutting edge, insightful, and just plain odd. Lists of possible character names. Lists of common typos that I can fix with find and replace later so I don’t worry about fixing them now. It’s all about maintaining momentum.

I have friends who are as crazy as I am. We’re everywhere. It’s comforting to know that no matter what time of day it is, somewhere on this big ol’ ball of dust and gas there is someone on my buddy list  doing the same thing I am. We can message each other to whine, cajole,  commiserate, or celebrate.

Et tu, scriptor? If you are part of the madness, you can buddy up here.