This is great @Feline Fantasy! This year'll be my first time doing NaNo, so I'd love for there to be a thread where I can ask questions and whatnot. Thank you!!!

Ooh! I'm so excited for NaNoWriMo! I just signed up today and I can't wait until tomorrow, I'm KittyCat649!

This will also be my first time on NaNoWriMo...I'm so excited! I'm _Honeybee_

I'll post updates on the book I'm writing! 

Yay...NaNoWriMo has started!! My novel is about a girl named Estella who lives in a kingdom where magic is strictly not allowed. But, Estella was born with magic. She can speak to ghosts, control water with her mind, and grant wishes on a full moon. Her whole life, she's hidden her magic, because she doesn't want to be thrown out of the kingdom. But...Estella is fourteen, and everyone knows that on your fifteenth birthday, if not controlled, your magic basically explodes. Her only chance is when a mysterious woman shows up at her doorstep. 

Oh my goodness, I'm so excited! I failed at Camp NaNo in April, writing about two chapters, and then I did Camp again in July, but this is my first real actual NaNo. (:

I'm writing a story about a girl whose teacher (who's secretly a witch) tells her she has the "witching gift". So the girl becomes the teacher's apprentice, but there seems to be an uprising of magical incidents, and so she teams up with some other apprentices to stop it. It doesn't sound like that great of a plot, but it'll actually be pretty good. Hopefully.

Also, I have a question. What do y'all recommend my word goal to be? I've never done this before, but I have some experience with writing under a schedule and a lot of experience with writing stories.  

*SCREAMS*

ahhh NaNo has started! This is my first NaNo and let's just say...well I've been writing a lot. That's basically all I've been doing today! Anyway, I'd be happy to post my rough draft here so far...don't blame me if it's terrible, I'm not editing yet (editings okay, but oh do I hate revising)

here's the first draft of the first chapter...I'll post more if anyone's interested. 

Chapter One--Estella Has A Bad Hair Day

"Where in the heavens are you, Estella?" Estella Starling heard her sister's voice calling through the halls. Then the door flew open, and her sister swept into her room.

"What, Aimee?" Estella asked, annoyed. She set down her book and looked at her sister expectantly.

"The ball. It starts in half an hour and Mother wanted me to check on you. I see why," she smirked, gesturing to Estella's long blond hair, which had become a rat's nest around her shoulders.

"Fine." Estella said, glaring at her sister. She stood up and looked in the mirror. Goodness, her hair was a mess. She tried to tug her fingers through her hair, but they got stuck.

"Should I call someone in to do your hair?" Asked Aimee. Princesses were supposed to have their hair done by others, especially for balls and parties and the such.

Estella sighed. Her hair was tangled, but it would be embarrassing to admit that she hadn't done it earlier.

"No," She said. "You can leave. I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Whatever you say," snorted Aimee. "But mom will be mad if you aren't!" With that, the bossiest one of Estella's older sisters swept out of the room.

Estella opened her vanity's drawers, looking for a hairbrush. It was, admittedly, messy. It took a minute or so just to find a hairbrush that would work on her hair. When she did find one, a blue, gem encrusted thing, it tugged so hard on her head tears sprang to her eyes.

Ugh. Beauty. What a stupid thing. Estella sighed and continued to untangle her hair. It hurt, badly, but it would only hurt more if someone else was brushing it. So the brush went in and out, as Estella tried to be calm and not scream. She could do this.

"Estella!" It was Aimee's voice. "It's been fifteen minutes!"

"What...oh." Estella looked in the mirror. Her hair was floaty and light, circling her shoulders down to her waist.

"You haven't even done it up!" Aimee cried. "I trusted you, 'Stella."

She most definitely hadn't trusted her. But Estella didn't mention this. "Hmph. Well, can you do it?"

"Me...?" Aimee was incredulous. "Do your hair? Who do you think I am?"

"I thought you were a kind and helpful sister who wanted the Buttercup Ball to go smoothly." Estella snapped. "But apparently not."

Aimee groaned. "I don't know how, okay? Happy?"

"I mean...not really." Estella gestured to her hair. Aimee looked furious. "Oh, you are such an evil little--"

Estella swept past her sister and out her door. "This conversation is over."

Aimee hurried after her. "Wait, Estella. Oh, heavens. Why must you make life so difficult?" Estella ignored her. 

The Starlings were gathered in the throne room. They were a large family, composed of the king and queen, and five princesses. There was also the newborn prince. Besides the immediate family, a large amount of cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles would also be coming. Everyone came to the Buttercup Ball. Everyone who was invited. 

In the ballroom, large tables of food were being set up. Banners were draped, dresses were mended, food was made in the huge kitchen. The Buttercup Ball, which took place in the spring, was an outstanding event. 

Estella would have liked to watch the ball being set up, but instead she was perched on a throne while her mother fussed over her. "Your hair, Estella! Oh, what will we do! The guests arrive in only a few minutes!"

Estella glowered. Her hair, which was long and bleach-blond, was starting to drive her crazy. Couldn't anyone talk about anything else? She wrapped it around her finger automatically. Her mother tugged her hand away from her nervous habit.

Queen Starling sighed. "You can't play with your hair, Estella."

"Sorry, Mother," Estella looked at her hands, face flushing. "I'm just nervous."

"Well, maybe someone can do your hair at the last minute." Queen Starling waved a passing maid, who looked rather exhilarated from all the excitement, over. "Miss, could you please do her hair?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The maid curtsied and turned to Estella, who sighed and let her begin braiding. The maid was fast, if not a professional hairdresser, and soon she had braids pinned upon her head.

"You look lovely. Your Highness." The maid scrambled into a curtsy and rushed away. Estella wondered how she looked, but her mother looked pleased, so she decided not to care. As long as the queen wasn't bothering her about her hair, and she could have a moment of silence, she hardly cared how she looked.

"Everyone, line up!" Called a butler. He looked, rather pointedly, at me. I leapt out of my seat and hurried into line behind Margaret, my sister who was just a year older than me, fifteen. 

Then, like every year, we paraded into the ballroom. Even though I was a princess, and I had seen it thirteen times already, I still was a little amazed by the beautiful ballroom. Shining lights were draped everywhere. Flowing silks, pink and blue, were hung everywhere. The chandelier was the size of a few horses, covered in hanging crystals and glowing candles. It was hard not to gasp in delight at the sight of it, no matter who you were.

And the room. It was the biggest room in the castle, with a ceiling as tall as a redwood tree and a space the size of a small neighborhood. It was ridiculously easy to get lost in the room, and I had before. People stuck together in clumps. There was a dancing area, a dining area, and a living area. The Buttercup Ball was the spring ball, and there was a summer ball (Firefly dance) fall ball (Autumn Party) and winter ball (Snowflake Swirl).

They all took an insanely long time to prepare. And ugh, how Estella hated the many people who came in to measure and critique her. She was forced into so, so many different dresses. Ultimately, the dress she liked was not the one she got to wear. And all for what? Some fancy party. It made no sense to Estella, but she never complained.

Estella glided on to the balcony. She looked out, the rest of the royal family joined her, and they looked out across the scene of guests arriving.

"Hello, everyone!" Boomed the king. "Let the Buttercup Ball begin." 

I'm on the regular NaNo, not the YWP. However if anyone else is on there I'm Book_Nerd03