I’m doing NaNoWriMo for the first time since having kids. I’m 99% sure I’m going to both regret it every day in November and the same amount positive I’m going to be so happy I did it come the end of the month. I spent some time looking back at my projects from prior NaNo wins, thankful for the hard work and, for some, equally that I never returned to finish them off.
It’s a perfect moment for it though in some ways. I can’t resume my exercise routine and that’s been very hard on me. I’ve been in a boot for 9.5 weeks and after falling on my broken foot yet again today, will have to see how long this will be my reality. I’d hoped the weeks of later(ish) wake ups would be restful for my body but to be honest, I feel much worse and sleep-deprived for it. I’m also bracing for what could shape up to be a long month of election-related drama, so the distraction of this project could prove to be perfectly timed.
I usually go in emphatic that the only way to finish the month is with 50K words typed up on my work in progress and I’m almost positive I’m going to walk away with far less than that. We’re already 10 days in and I’m just under 5K. Behind. Well, behind. But I’m okay with that. Because those 5K words are 5K more than I’ve written towards completing any novel in over four years.
And then, there’s the book itself.
Five years ago, I had an idea for a book and I’ve been thinking it through since. The main character is a little boy. When the idea came to me, I wasn’t really sure what to do since in my mind (coming from a family of so many girls) I was going to have daughters so really understanding the mind of a little boy seemed like a far reach. And then in October 2016 everything suddenly changed when we had a little boy. It was like something far greater than me knew what was in store for me, both with his arrival and on a few things I’ve been throwing around as a part of the story. So it’s time to give it a try.
Back in 2011, I was part of a HuffPost series throughout the month. The process looked so different for me then than it does now. Here’s a look back at some of the articles for inspiration if, like me, you’re tackling this challenge this November.
- NaNoWriMo Authors Discuss Their Goals and Sacrifices
- NaNoWriMo Writers Keep Motivated
- NaNoWriMo Writers Discuss Lessons Learned and Future Plans
Who else is participating? How are you keeping your focus?
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