a question for writers

This question is directed toward two groups: people who have completed fiction works, and people doing NaNoWriMo (national novel-writing month).

How do you structure your writing? Do you write your story linearly from beginning to end (not counting editing passes)? Or do you jump around, leaving place-holders for things you'll fill in later?

My impression, based on only a few data points, is that people doing NaNoWriMo tend to start at the beginning and write the story in order. (NaNoWriMo is all about cranking out the initial draft in a short period of time, so editing is discouraged.) I write fiction rarely and as a hobby only, but I've found that I tend to jump around somewhat -- I may start out writing linearly, but then I'll insert something like "[wild night in bar goes here]" so I can write the next part, because I'm not feeling inspired to write about wild nights right now but I do have inspiration for the aftermath. Do people who write fiction more seriously do that, or am I just quirky?

I find myself wondering whether NaNoWriMo builds productive habits, encourages destructive habits, or is just plain orthogonal to conventional writing.

auto accessories

This morning I parked next to a VW bug with the license plate "BUGGY 9". This inspired several thoughts: (1) Don't you want "BUG" rather than "BUGGY"? (2) If we assume that's true and you settled for what was available, then there are probably at least 20 cars in PA with "BUG" or "BUGGY" on their plates, which would surprise me. (3) Do you really want a license plate that anyone connected to the software world will read as negative? (4) If I had that type of car and were inclined toward vanity plates, I think I'd try for "FEATURE".

Bumper sticker spotted recently by a friend: "Who would Jesus bomb?".

Today's mail brought a copy of "Driver" magazine from VW, which is mostly a vehicle for selling over-priced accessories for VWs. I did note in passing a bit about their high-quality roadside assistance. Ahem. The magazine included an email address and a request for "your stories", but I'll bet they won't print mine. :-)

A while back a family member gave me a "solar-powered vent fan" for my car. In theory, you fit it into your window somehow and it vents your car during those hot summer days so it's not so painful to get into the car after it's been sitting out in the sun. Interesting, except that installation is not straightforward and the instructions contain the caution that you should remove the device when driving because it impedes visibility. That's not a winning combination. (Fortunately, I can usually get a spot in the shade at work and I have a garage at home, so the absence of such a device does not significantly affect me.)