National Novel Writing Month begins tomorrow! I know that itsounds completely INSANE to write 50,000 words in 30 days. However, it was the most amazing experience I ever had for so many reasons.
The NaNoWriMo BUZZ
Last year, I participated in NaNoWriMo. I jumped in on day two (I already had a couple thousand words started for the novel) and finished my 50,000 words with a few hours to go on November 30th.
The entire process really brought a certain energy to the house. My husband and children were on board (which helps) so I was given space and time to write whenever I needed it. It took commitment not just on my part but my family too. If I missed a day of writing during the week, I would head to the library on the weekends to write my butt off for hours. This meant leaving the husband to deal with the three cherubs and their activities, alone. But, he is great and never complained.
The best part though was how everyone cheered me on. Every day my (at the time) twelve year old would ask me how many
words that I had written and she would keep track of where I was in the process. My husband, who is THE most supportive guy, doesn’t always read what I write but he was asking to read pages and was hungry for more when he finished. My friends all knew I was writing too, and so they were asking about my progress and cheering me on as well. All of this not only motivated me, but also made me completely excited to get up each day and write. My creative juices were flowing like lava! It was the most extraordinary feeling.
To Nano or Not to Nano, that is the question…..
I have gone back and forth about whether to participate this year. I have an idea for a story (a young adult
thriller), but I’ve been struggling with the plot. Then, just yesterday, when I was feeling really down and low about writing (telling
myself I wasn’t good enough and I should never write again) I had read a great article on the Writer’s Digest website: “How to Resurrect a Stalled Manuscript”Aine Greaney. http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/how-to-resurrect-a-stalled-manuscript. The article gave a lot of great tips for jolting your writing back into full gear. The one idea that I connected with was to mix up your writing. Greaney suggested writing in a different voice, genre, or taking the tone of your piece from somber to silly. Lightbulb! I knew what I was going to do!
A few years back I started a story that I stopped writing because I couldn’t see where the story was going. After reading the
article, I suddenly knew where I wanted the story to go. I was going to take the piece I had started and turn it into a hilarious adventure about four women who….well, I’ll save that for another day. I haven’t written silly, or funny yet which is exactly the type of book I would love to read.
So, I will be participating in NaNoWriMo! I cannot wait to dive into it!
Completed Project
Writing every day takes discipline. It takes dedication. What NaNoWriMo does is help you with that discipline. I finished my second novel last November during NaNoWriMo, then went on to write a middle grade book. Since then, I have been revising….revising….revising…..blech.
However, if I hadn’t participated in NaNoWriMo, I would never have realized how much I love to write. I knew I liked to write, but I fell in love with it (weird, I know). When I write, I feel the most amazing energy surging through my body. I love starting with a blank page and filling it with words! I have never felt that with anything I have ever done before, ever.
If you have always dreamed of writing, why wouldn’t you try NaNoWriMo? Let’s face it, if you write 50,000 words you will have something close to a complete novel. Being supported during the month with emails from NaNoWriMo as well as the local moderators help keep your spirits up and definitely show you that you can do it.
Winners and Losers
If you complete the 50,000 words you WIN….a virtual badge. But, it’s not about a prize! It’s about writing those words that are bottled up inside you! Whether you finish 50,000 or 20,000 words it’s still something that wasn’t written before! Try it, you’ll like it, I promise!
Let me know if you will be writing, and follow me on Twitter so we can share NaNoWriMo trials and tribulations.
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