I'm doing NaNoWriMo because when I was younger I always said I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Somewhere along the line I let self-doubt, cynicism, and an overly practical view of the world take over. My main concern in early adulthood was just finding something that I sort of liked to do that I could make money doing. Since I didn't think I could do that with writing, it dropped off my priority list as I developed more "bankable" skills. Now that I've established a 9-to-5 career, creativity has become so important in keeping me happy and sane. I have a few different outlets, but writing feels like coming home.