As I'm writing this, it seems we have finally turned the corner in the Bay Area to autumn. Our summer is always a clueless guest, hanging around well past the time that the beer is all gone and the hosts are yawning and looking longingly at the door. I think the brutal summer heat hung around just a few weeks too long because I – in a fit of optimism – put out my autumn decorations, pumpkin-scented candles, and delicate bowls made of wrought-iron leaves, which of course jinxed us all.

But now that the cool weather is here, I can finally turn my mind to things other than "WHEN WILL THIS HEAT END?" to what I really want to be thinking about, which is writing. Around about this time for the last five years, I've been thinking, nay, obsessing, about what I will write during NaNoWriMo. Yes, I write during the rest of the year, but there's something about the insanity of NaNo, the global free pass to skive off housework and go in just a little bit late to work and stay up way past your bedtime: a monthlong celebration of writing goodness. But this year, I'm not obsessing and planning and biting my nails. Because this year, I'm doing NaNo during October.

Because of various Real Life Reasons, Heather Domin and I have made a pact to do our NaNo in October: ONoWriMo. And we have also made a pact to let you all know how we're doing, every Wednesday doing October.

But wait, there's more!

Heather and I, being gluttons for punishment, will also be doing a series of blog posts throughout October. We'll be covering a range of topics about the process of writing – ritual, inspiration, superstition, gods and saints – topics that come to our minds when we think about this turn toward the darkness, the turn inward.

So look for our posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays throughout October, and join in with your experiences and ideas!