Have a Holly Jolly NaNo

Like Halloween and Christmas, people have started celebrating NaNoWriMo earlier every year. November is still two weeks away, but I've already seen houses in the neighborhood with NaNo decorations up.

One house had strings of lighted typewriters framing its windows and a seasonal flag that read, "I'll Sleep in December". As usual, the neighbor across the street had to do one better. On their lawn, they had an eight-foot inflatable snowman typing on a laptop. When they turn off the fan, the snowman collapses in a giant heap the same way your typical NaNo participant does after a lengthy writing session.

Which reminds me, if you happen to see a poor soul sprawled on the front lawn with a PowerBook laying nearby, be kind and help him or her to the front door. If he or she can't be roused, gently drag the exhausted writer off the grass before the sprinklers come on. If all else fails, at least save the PowerBook. Trust me, the drenched novelist will be eternally grateful to you for rescuing his or her word count hard work.

The most inspiring NaNoWriMo display I've seen so far was the house with the traditional Joshua tree in the front window. Tiny note cards with character sketches and story ideas hung from its branches. A small sprinting figure carrying a large pencil stood atop its highest branch. On the front door, an antique, copper word meter rested in the center of an autumn wreath. Candlelight flickered through the flaming typewriter pattern carved into a pumpkin on the front porch.

I was staring at the beauty of it all when I noticed the sound of a piano coming from the house. I took a few steps towards the porch to listen more closely and heard children performing the rarely sung NaNo carol, "No Plot? No Problem!" It begins:

If your story makes no sense,
That's no reason to feel tense.
If your narrative's a mess,
Keep on writing, don't obsess.

No plot? No problem!
No plot?! No problem!!

I don't remember the rest of the lyrics, but my favorite verse is the one that has to do with character development and camels. That aside, seeing all of the excitement building around the annual writing event has lifted my spirits. This will be my third time participating in NaNoWriMo and I'm looking forward to seeing what this year's cornucopia of words has in store.