NaNoWriMo Here We Go!

Oh boy, I’m tired! Seems like my general state of being right now. I have still been tackling mystery health stuff, but hey, I'm keeping busy. Sure, my body knocks me out for days at a time now and then, but I still dropped 158k words between three projects, fulfilled all my teaching duties, and didn’t implode my social life. I call that a win. Especially the social life part, because that is by far the most challenging piece for me to maintain. Am I right, fellow introverts?

Now, I get to be excited about what is ahead. November is National Novel Writing Month, no matter what challenge you’re doing now that the NANOWRIMO scene has shifted. This year, I am participating in HeartBreathing’s Rough Draft challenge, and I am also doing a novel-writing challenge with the publishers of Worldsmyths, with whom I have been published in an anthology before. Ambitious me wants to write a different novel for each of them. Practical me says that is crazy. Here is my list of reasons why I can’t write two novels in one month;

1. My body keeps taking me out, and I need time to rest.

2. I am a full-time teacher and department head, which takes a lot of time.

3. My husband needs me to spend time with him. I am his wife after all.

4. I have only ever completed 64k in one month —where do I get the idea that I can do 100k?

   1. That 64k was when school wasn’t in session.

Here are my reasons why I can write two novels in one month.

1. Never know until you try.

Okay, okay, practical me is right. I know she is, but that is the hardest part of my health challenges, without them ambitious me would have had a valid chance with reasons two through four. So, what will I actually do? Call it splitsies. For HeartBreathing’s Rough Draft Challenge, I will draft the next novel in the series I have been working on, and for Worldsmyth’s, I will be drafting a short story or Novella for another possible anthology coming up. I still might not be able to do both, and maybe trying will mean not completing either, but it is hard to let that go.

I hope you have some plans to participate, too. Maybe not as wild as my ambitious self, but I hope you will try. Your November may be your first hundred words or your first thousand. Don’t worry if your goal seems too small or too big. What this intentional month boils down to is making writing a priority in your life, in whatever way you choose. Then, someday your story will be done, and you can entrust it to the hands of another. That – is something truly special. Happy writing!

Edit: So, health stuff took me out before I could post this, so you also get the first update. After week 1 of writing, I have 2k words in the novella and 9k in the novel. All in all, a strong start. May the keyboards and pens serve you well in the coming days. Tallyho!