Weird coincidences start happening once you determine you are going to write like mad for thirty days.

Example: the first year I did NaNo, I began to flounder halfway into it. I went for a run along the Esplanade downtown, to clear my head. Running along the west side of the river, I naturally looked over at the east bank. And there, painted in two-foot high (at least!) bright white letters was a name: FRANCES. Frances was the name of my novel’s main character. The name had not been there the day before, and, thanks to Portland’s crack team of graffiti-removal artists, it was gone soon after.

Example: looking around this morning for word-count type texture, I saw a woman dressed entirely in purple, including a pair of purple leather boots. THEN, I saw a completely other woman, running for the bus and dressed head to toe in GREEN, and carrying also a green leather tote.

Another one: A writer I admire, Ron Carlson, said when he begins writing a story, he uses the names Mickey and Doris, at first, just to keep things moving, and he changes the names later, when he knows the characters better. So, I was putting a new character into a story, and I called him Mickey. THE NEXT DAY, I meet this woman, and she introduces herself as Mickey. Then she calls someone over, and she says, “I’d like you to meet my husband, whose name is also Mickey.” I fully expect to meet Doris one day soon.

Finally, my friend Wendy gave her characters, a married couple, some unusual names I can’t remember at the moment, but let’s say they were Mortimer and Crissy. Very soon after that, a couple walks in to where Wendy works, and signs in: Mortimer and Crissy. The pair of them, together. No joke!

I could go on. I have another example about pajama sightings in public.

How about you? Any weird coincidences to report?