NaNo as Motivation

This morning on edittorrent I saw a blog about NaNo that was mainly directed toward speed-writing - as in increasing your writing speed and thereby increasing your output.  It's a great post, and I'm sure it's very helpful.  The thing with me is, I don't look at November as a time to increase the speed with which I write or even as a way to get my brain to think quicker.  I use this month and NaNo to motivate me.

Let's face it, folks, I'm lazier than a coonhound on a hot summer day.  I know this about myself.  If I wasn't so lazy, I'd be showered and dressed, this post would've been written at 5am when I woke up (stupid time change), and I'd be ready to get started on my Monday errands.  I also wouldn't have had to race around collecting garbage before the truck gets here this morning.  Anyway, this all goes to show that I lack internal motivation.  I know this, but I can't seem to get my gumption shifted into drive on my own.

Enter November.  Blessed, wonderful November.  It provides the spark to light my internal gumption engine.  (And for those of you out there who are thinking 'but doesn't that mean you're just motivating yourself anyway' - yes.) 

So, I don't think of this NaNo thing as a race to get 50K words out.  I just use it to light my fire, to spark my gumption, to kick my butt into gear.  The only person I can possibly disappoint is myself, and I will do my damnest not to do that.  If I screw up and miss the mark one day, I'll work harder to make up the difference on the next day.  And if, for some reason, I don't hit the mark, I will at least be able to console myself with the fact that I tried.  As long as I'm writing, I cannot fail entirely. 

Now I really should hit the shower, since I'm already behind on my daily schedule.  Heh, but I did already write.  Thanks, NaNoWriMo.