The annals of NaNoWriMo history are cluttered with people who failed (a term I use loosely) to reach 50,000 words and many who never even started, and that’s just fine. It’s a lot of pressure. We’re closing in on the end of week one now, and I’ve managed to stay a little ahead of the game thanks to a kick-ass first day. Tuesday was the only day I didn’t quite reach goal. Something or other was going on. What could it have been? Oh yeah, I remember.

Anyway, if the thought of attempting 50K in 30 days is simply unbearable, the folks over at WestVirginiaVille have come up with an interesting alternative: National Write Like a Son of a Bitch Month, or simply W-SOB Month for short. It’s based on a quote by author/artist Jim Harrison, who said,

“Just start at page one and write like a son of a bitch.”

Simple enough, right? No word counts. No sign-ups. No rules. Just writing. So if NaNoWriMo seems like just too big a task, try W-SOB instead. Either way, you’re writing. And if you’re already in the thick of NaNoWriMo and 50K isn’t getting much closer, all isn’t lost. Don’t consider yourself a failure…consider yourself a son of a bitch.