It's Day One of National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. If you haven't heard of this insanely awesome challenge yet then visit NaNoWriMo.org to sign up and start your novel today! It's something your inner critique will hate you for and it might just do fatal damage to those nasty little gremlins who tell you that writing is a total waste of time...it's not.
2014 is my third year of taking this challenge and I intend to type my fingers to the bone not just over but BEYOND the November 30 finish line. I first attempted to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days in 2004. Writing 1,667 words every day was tough because life was VERY different back then. I had very little control of my schedule so NaNoWriMo had me writing well into the wee hours and up again at dawn to write some more, before my day got swallowed up by the endless To Do lists.
I waited 9 years to take the challenge again - last year was MUCH easier - not just because my sons are old enough now to make their own french toast and NEVER want help with their college homework - but because I had grown as a writer and was halfway through a 2 year plan to completely change my life.
This year promises to be even easier because writing isn't something that I have to escape my daily life to do anymore - it's something I do every day. My work as an online publisher, manuscript editor and writing coach has my butt firmly in my seat for at least 6 hours a day - sometimes 7 days a week. Adding a couple more hours for nothing but MY WRITING seems doable now that my 2 year plan is finally complete.
It's pissing down with rain here on Cape Cod on Day One of NaNoWriMo 2014 - it's Saturday and the only other To Do on my schedule is to take a ride over to the gym. There's a Nor'easter brewing so my logic brain thinks I should head out now, before the wind picks up and the rain is too hard to drive through safely, but my NaNoWriMo heart is telling me to stay put, get those 1,667 words written, upload my word count into the website's lovely word counter and THEN hit the treadmill...I wonder which part of my brain will win... ?
If you've signed up for the NaNoWriMo challenge here's a little tip to help get you to the 50,000 word goal by November 30: before you strap yourself to your NaNo throne of inspiration load up
your fave tunes on Spotify and dance your buns off for 10 mins to get
the proverbial creative juices flowing - trust me, it works!!
I
bragged in my NaNoWriMo profile that my favorite writing music is The Pogues - if
you don't know who they are here's a link to one of their best
fire-up-your-ass tunes: to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUeeZK_FDsw I defy you stay stuck
in your seat as these drunken louts enter your heart and get it
pumping.
If you feel stuck while writing get up out of your seat
and dance for a minute or two - that's all it takes to shake off those
nasty gremlins who tell you your writing sucks - so what if it does? You
can fix it on your rewrite - AFTER Nov 30th! For now, just enjoy the
gift of writing - every day - and perhaps dancing off a few pounds
you'll inevitably gain from that Halloween candy that's sitting right
next to your screen....
Happy Day One fellow Wrimers...congratulations on showing up - now hit that link and get dancing!
Want to be writing buddies? Find my NaNoWriMo profile CapeCodNic at nanowrimo.org
