We've all either participated in (or at the very least heard of) NaNoWriMo. Last year was my first go at it and all I felt when it was over was, "I don't want this to be over!" Though I'd added 64,000 words to my manuscript, I still wasn't anywhere near finished.

After thinking about it, I really began to feel like a month just wasn't enough to really pull it off. Not for me, and probably not for most of us. It felt more like a three month project:

Month 1: Planning, Outlining, Researching, Synopsizing, etc.
Month 2: Fast and Furious Writing from the Heart.
Month 3: Somewhat Slower but No Less Furious Rewriting with the Head.

I know not everyone needs (or wants) an entire month of planning either, so this alternate schedule is also allowed:

Month 1: Writing.
Month 2: Writing.
Month 3: Writing.

And in rare cases, I will accept this schedule:

Month 1: Writing.
Month 2: Sleeping.
Month 3: Writing.

So there you have it! The Personal Book Writing Quarter: It's not National. It's not limited to just fiction. And it lasts three months: PerBoWriQua. It covers: September, October, and November: so you can finish your book at the same time all those NaNos are "finishing" theirs.

(My initial thought was to make the middle month coincide with NaNoWriMo. But frankly I just can't wait that long. So for me, this year, PerBoWriQua will replace NaNo.)

Anyway . . . The reason for this post is: join me. Think of it as small group therapy. We can encourage each other at the beginning then laugh at each other's books at the end. What could be better than that? (I mean, besides throwing a beer or two in there.)

If you're in, leave a comment. Then fire up your word processors. We've got a lot of work to do.

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