Hope your kitty makes a quick recovery, Saoirse. I've been to the vet with a lot of them; my sympathies.
Sorry about your cold, Zan - hope it passes quickly!
Pondering about trying out the NaNoWriMo next month, but not sure considering how busy I usually am. Any suggestions or experiences to share on that?
Oh! Oh! Me!!
I've done NaNo every year since 2010. For me, it's both incentive, and permission to write like a maniac without obsessing over perfection. As far as specific experiences go: it's exhausting, and you
will write rubbish, but more than you expect will be pretty good, and the rest can be handled in revisions.
Best strategy tip I heard was in my first year: When you've got about a week left, stop where you are, and write the final scene (complete with THE END). If you've still got time/need words, go back and fill in a few scenes. As I'm generally a linear writer, it felt very odd, but for me, at least, there was genuine motivational power in having the story's destination written down.
Busy may nail you, but that's OK; there's value in the attempt, even if you don't hit the word count. I think there's a lot to be said for being forced to ignore your inner editor.