NaNoWriMo Begins!

    Two days ago, National Novel Writing Month officially began.
    NaNoWriMo. A month where the eager, determined writer writes like crazy to complete their first draft. Some writers spend long hours of their day writing for this--especially when they have Thanksgiving Break. Others just do a little bit every day and accumulate their word count goal gradually. But the goal for everyone remains the same: to finish that first draft by the end of the month.
    It's a considerably short deadline. Finishing a manuscript in a month is no easy feat! Writing challenges like this can be really difficult, but they're also fun, and they help people grow as writers.
    Deadlines tend to give extra incentive to finish the first draft. Whether it be a personal goal or something assigned by a publisher, typically a writer has strong determination to not miss that deadline. There's more on the line with a race against time. More reason to work harder.
    Is anyone out there doing NaNoWriMo this year? Does anyone have other personally set deadlines for their writing?