[Quiet Man Cometh]

Never tried NaNoWriMo and I doubt I ever will. I've tried writing novels before and usually fail epicly. I suppose I could give it a shot if only to see how far I get when I have a deadline in front of me. Writer's block is something that gets to me too and curiously, deadlines can seem to help. I'm the sort of individual that can work on a piece for years and never be really satisfied with it. Among the pieces I'm most happy with of my own work are the ones I wrote over a matter of a couple days (plus edits) and usually to a deadline.

I know my friend does it nearly every year and manages it too, I'm pretty sure, but he's the opposite style of writer from me. I have a hard time writing much over 1000 words and he has a hard time keeping anything under ten thousand. It's something we poke fun at each other for all the time.

On the writers' block thing, thinking about it there are many things that I do to try to get over it, but it's rare that they actually work. Really, the most effective thing for me is just to sit and wait, even though this tends to result in my writing very little over very long periods of time.

...and I must now wonder if long hair is something of a requirement for alchemists, as my two boys both have it too. ;) (Though that probably doesn't mean much coming from me.)