Taking a break, and a Nanowrimo reminder (Nanowriminder?)

I am having a wonderful couple of days off. Yesterday I sat in Borders for most of the day and read books - do any of you feel that illicit thrill when you read an entire book in a bookstore? It feels like shoplifting. You leave the actual book behind, but you carry the contents away in your head, perhaps giving a merry wave to the shop assistants ("Ha ha! Little do they know!") and lingering by the security gates for longer than is necessary.

Today may well be the momentous day when I print out my first draft and put it on a shelf for a few weeks. It is always satisfying seeing the fat stack of paper - of course, that's assuming that our printer ink does not run out halfway through the book, which usually happens. Printer ink is dashed expensive, perhaps because it is made from the black blood of mountain trolls.

It's the old archeological or paleontological method for writing: You sit there with a little brush and maybe a little pick, and you keep excavating until suddenly you discover you've dug up a T Rex—and you're at the end of the first draft. That's what rewrites are for. Thank God. Then you can go back and saturate the metaphor. This is what I was really writing about all along. - Tamora Pierce

Tomorrow I am going to post the official sign-up sheet for Nanowrimo - well, not quite the official official sign-up sheet, because that would be the Nanowrimo website. This one just means that you are signing up to my little sub-group of writing buddies. Here's a link to my original post on the matter, in case you missed it. Basically, here's the plan:
1) I will post a link to all members of our little writing gang on 1 November, so that people can follow our progress on our blogs. If you have a title and blurb planned for your Nano book, I'll post that with your name (if you want to reveal it).
2) Every Friday during Nanowrimo I will open up the comments to participants who want to post links to their own blogs and talk about their progress and experiences. I will also feature posts by any participants that take my fancy.
3) If you are following me on Twitter, I will be hosting Timed Writing Frenzies now and then for anyone who wants to join me in furiously upping their word count.
4) At the end of the month, I will post the names of everyone who successfully completed their 50,000 words, and we will all be filled with the pride of a job well done. And we will also probably be filled with wine. I know I will be.

Don't forget to sign up on the Nanowrimo website, as well! I keep forgetting to say this, but my Nanowrimo user name is theluckyblackcat, if you would like to add me as a friend.

See you tomorrow!