Taking the Plunge

Do I dare? Do I have the willpower, the determination, the availability? Can I accomplish the marathon of marathons for we writing folk? Can I make it to the finish line for NaNoWrimo 2008?
I have no idea. 50,000 words in thirty days. Except, for me, it would be more like 27 days, since I was in the muck of finishing a short story draft and forgot that it was starting. And once I finished the aforementioned draft and remembered that National Novel Writing month had begun (this morning), I spent all day wracking my brain for the 'perfect' idea. My writing method just isn't a light bulb going off—I don't usually get an 'idea!' It's more like the sense of a place I want to communicate or a particular character who gets into my head or a vague scene or a snatch of dialogue that grabs me. Plot usually unwinds itself with the writing. And I am a slow writer. Ideas sort of sit in the crock pot of my mind for months before developing into actual stories. So all day I've been going over my scattered notes, trying to find that spark of life that pushes my fingers to the keyboard.
Eight hours later, I think I have it. I've never been through Nano before—I'm usually already committed to a project—but this year, I've just finished up a few short story drafts and have been ready to delve into something new...so maybe the timing is right. Even if this idea doesn't turn into the perfect storyline, it's a chance for me to try to write without inhibition—because I revise and edit as I write my first drafts. It's so hard for me to just let it out...but with a deadline, I won't really have the choice of the turtle-route. You learn to write by writing and pushing myself to do this thing will, at the very least, push me out of my comfort zone. Wait. Did I say comfort zone? I meant rut.
So I'm going to try. I feel excited about it--it'll be great to get a solid body of work written in such a short time. It's very likely that I will be disrupted, but trying is better than not trying, right? So here I go...
Good luck to all of the other participants out there stretching those writing muscles!