Enough’s enough. I’m going back to the one sure thing that gets me writing.
(Thanks to my lovely wife)
My wife nudged me last month and said “I think I want to do NaNo this year. I want to build on the ideas I had a couple of years back.”
The implication is that I would join her in November. Not that she needs me. My wife does not need me to do anything she sets her mind to. Hundreds (thousands?) of people attempt and accomplish NaNoWriMo alone. It’s not impossible.
BUT.
Honestly though, where’s the fun in that? I’m lucky to have such a supportive partner. I enjoy NaNoWriMo more when we do it together.
It’s no secret to anyone close to me that writing hasn’t been happening much for a long time now (the lack of updates here can attest to this as much as anything else can). It’s not time. Time is always lacking sure, but we can always find a way to make time. It’s always been a mental thing and a lack of energy. A vicious cycle that sucks me down. I’ve tried writing groups, I’ve read online forums, books and articles. I’ve worked on motivating myself.
Looking back though, the only one true thing that always gets me writing (usually well past the end of November) is NaNoWriMo.
Every single NaNoWriMo attempt that I’ve committed to, the following has happened:
- I’ve succeeded (save 1 attempt)
- I’ve enjoyed myself
- I’ve continued writing well into the following months
- I’ve churned out some really amazing stuff, as well as some really terrible stuff too
The way I see it, it’s a sure thing.
So, I’m dusting off a previous attempt that, while I did reach well over 50K in word count, never quite gelled. I never got to write “The End” on the damn thing. I’ve always found it sad because it SHOULD have been a fun story (It wasn’t). I’m going over my old notes, making new ones and skimming the draft. I’m definitely seeing what did not work and what did. I’ve got a new take on the story (I think).
I’m getting ready for November 1st.
