Writer’s Challenge and A Quote
It’s that time of year again where some writers gear up for the “write of their lives” the month, and possibly a good part of the year where the idea is to simply write, and then write some more. The time of year when editing is not part of the plan, but rather something to put on hold for the month. This month? NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is upon us.It’s true every year many people say that they will write 50,000 words. It’s a good plan and many make this a reality.
Good for them. As for myself, I am the first to admit this is a challenge. I’m used to plan A, B, C, D and possibly going to the Greek alphabet to help me plan things. I don’t like change and I refuse to say that somewhere I am a novel writer, however, the time has come to branch out. Or at the least relearn the love of writing. It’s a plan z I’m sure. I’ve been busy… or something… most likely, the best explanation to my absence is my own lazy butt not wanting to sit down and challenge the part of my mind in making good on my best intentions.
It’s a challenge for sure, and one which I am not as prepared to have as I might claim I am. I have always tried to be more than I could be, or at least that’s my claim, I am supposed to be the one who might just know it all, but the harsh truth hurts. I’ve lied to myself that I am a good writer. I’ve lied to others about how much I dream of improving my writing or finding some ways to keep blogging. It’s not easy. Except the list of excuses for my bad behaviour has only grown longer. I might be just a writer, but I am also just a lazy person. I can list excuse after excuse, but what makes a person want to share their passion and dreams? The vision, and the drive to continue even when there is no reason to keep going.
I have every reason to keep moving forward, and to keep going I have every reason to share a bit of talent, and to grow.
Therein lies the problem, I am not the person who actually likes change or growth. In honest fact I hate the very notion that one needs to grow, I’m more content to isolate myself, and outright lie when I say it isn’t my idea of how I want my life to be. As a writer this is a place where the facts are starting to come forward and they won’t let me isolate myself, or to hide behind them.
The challenge is there.
This year my redemption comes in the form of NaNoWriMo. I’ve been asked many times to find a way to write something during NaNoWriMo. Not a non-fiction because my excuses for not writing would be limitless, but an actual novel. I’ve made plans and visions of writing a 50,000 word novel, but the truth? I didn’t have the guts to start or if I did, I never finished. I would use the editing excuse or the time excuse.
I’d say I had research to do. I can argue that for some the question is: what research is there in just writing? There is some, I will admit but not that much that it is all consuming. It’s not the idea behind this. This month is for writing. One might argue it is for “writing vomit” but the idea is to simply write and to commit to doing something that you can see your efforts of the lack thereof.
50,000 words is 50,000 words. There is not a means to argue that there is less- and you can always write more. It is a plan to break your writing down by the numbers. In it, is is the plan to accept yourself for who you can be and whom you will answer to.
