http://www.nanowrimo.org

This is interesting. It is national novel writing month- this month we call November, Novembre, Novembre, Novembre (italian, spanish, then french accent, if you please). My dear sweet brother Ian (soon to be nobel prize winning author and platinum recording artist) is participating in the nanowrimo challenge. That is, that each participant write 50,000 in the month of November (demanding a minimum of 1,666 words each day of the month). It is a challenge to help writers get past their mental blocks, to have to write with a deadline and really spit it out. As explained to me, it isn't really an issue of "winning" or writing something fantastic that will win you your first Pulitzer, but rather, it is the challenge and the feat of completing the goal you set (that 2500 others have also set) that is your prize. I like it. If I were a writer, I'd do it.
Don't forget to vote!