You'll be fine, Elle. Welcome to the Challenge. Wait until October 1st to start. At that point, it's okay to work ahead.

What can I help you understand about NaNoWriMo? Here are the bare-bones basics:

* Between Nov. 1 - Nov. 30, you have to write 50,000 words' worth of a novel.
* Paste your words into the NaNoWriMo counter to get credit for winning.
* Winning earns you badges (graphic images that say "winner!"), bragging rights, and a 50,000-word novel.

Those are the basics. There are a jumble of other rules - it has to be fiction. It must be a NOVEL, not a collection of shorts, etc. It's supposed to be a new work (although, I once started at Chapter 6 on a stagnant novel and wrote 50,000 words from there. Shhh-don't tell.) There are local support groups that meet (for example, at coffee shops) to write together on certain days during November.

That's pretty much the scope. Do you have any questions?

Regards,
Michelle