I’ve only ever attempted National Novel Writing Month once before, and I made it to about 20,000 of the targeted 50,000 words before I gave up. That was years ago, and while it never occurred to me to try again, this November feels like the perfect year to give it a try. My novel is more than 80% complete—I can feel the loose ends starting to tie themselves up, and I easily see the story winding down within the next 20,000 words. It shouldn’t be impossible, if I can just put my lesson into action and force myself to power through it—knowing, as I always have but never acknowledged, that there is no perfect time.