November is National Novel Writing Month, aka, “Nanowrimo.” It is a grassroots initiative to inspire both accomplished writers and would-be authors to complete a book-length manuscript in a month’s time. The goal is 50,000 words.
I have never participated before but thought I would give it a try this year. I didn’t tell very many people, because I wasn’t confident that I could finish, and I hate failing. I hate failing even more when it’s out in the open for others to see. (Note to self: spend some devotional time on PRIDE.)
Well, I wrote just shy of 10,000 words before I had to call it quits. Real life got in the way of my writing time. (Imagine that! Ha!) I am happy to have had the encouraging nudge to write again, and I loved the experience of the story unfolding beneath my fingertips. I purposely did not outline my tale and just wrote whatever came to mind as the plot progressed. There were a couple of places where something significant happened in the story that I had not intended or expected; it just seemed fitting as I was writing, so there it was! That’s the fun of Nanowrimo: you just write, write, write and worry about editing later.
I met a new friend along the Nanowrimo adventure, so that’s a bonus. Not only that, but I reconnected with a couple of other friends who were also trying Nanowrimo for the first time. It was fun sharing progress updates and encouraging each other. I am not giving up on my manuscript, but I do have to revisit that Pride issue when it comes to submitting it to a publisher. I’ve been rejected before on a few occasions and lost my nerve to try again.
I have often said that writing is therapeutic for me. It’s partly the reason why I have this blog. I wrote for many months and didn’t share it, but I think I’ve finally gotten to the point where I realize that if I’m dealing with a life issue or trying to reconcile something spiritually, then there’s a good possibility that others are going through something similar, and perhaps I could help shed some light on it for them so that we can walk this journey called Life together. I receive such a blessing when people tell me that something I wrote connected with them. Sometimes, I wear my heart on my sleeve; other times, I get a chip on my shoulder. I work through it by “talking” it out here.
A couple of folks have encouraged me to write children’s books, and I have written a few pieces that I thought were decent, albeit rejected (dern that pride again). What I feel most compelled to write, though, is adult fiction about real-life dilemmas. I like to process how we cope with life’s curveballs so that we, as readers, can relate to the characters as they live out the adventure — sometimes painful, sometimes joyful, always real. Perhaps someday …
faith, sweat & tears 