I started the month well. The writing flowed, the characters were strolling into my mind and letting me in on their story. Fantastic. And then the reality hit. Oh yeah. I have a job. There were commercials to grade, papers to read, lessons to plan. Oops. On the plus side--if I ever become independently wealthy, writing won't interfere with my work life. But I have a feeling writing 1.667 words a day will still be HARD WORK.
The weekend came. A good time to catch up, right? Nope. Our youngest son and his family came. And who in their right mind would try and write while there is a baby to play with, and first grade to find out about, and who knew all that went on in preschool nowadays. So, I cooked, I played, I rocked. But I didn't write. Not one word.
Not even a blog post. And I missed that.
This morning I will meet again with any students who show up to our NaNoWriMo support group. Last week we discussed writing platforms, and how writing 1,667 words a day is HARD WORK! We talked about how to find time in our day to accomplish it. We all decided that worrying about daily counts just didn't work for us. That weekly goals would fit our lives better ( how can I tell them I failed at that too???). And no one shared what they wrote. Too early, I guess.
After all this whining, am I quitting? Nope. The characters are still talking and their story still needs to be told. I'm back to writing in the morning. It seems to be the best time. If I write before my life starts, I listen to them better. I'm just not going to worry about 1,667 words a day. Or 50,000 words in a month. I won't be a "winner", but I will still be a writer on a journey.
What a challenge to take on with a full life! I am in awe of anyone who participates in this challenge. It sounds like it was a great weekend and not one to miss. I like your approach to the challenge, stick with it. Do you hear me cheering for you on the sidelines?
ReplyDeleteI do hear you, Elsie! Thank you
ReplyDeleteI'm cheering too! I love that you are forging on, determined to let those characters speak. I like that you said "If I write before my life starts, I listen to them better." I have missed your voice, but know that you are out there working so hard on something very valuable. Keep going for it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a valuable mentor you are for your fellow writers! You are so honest about the true challenge of it; you are not pretending it is immediately rewarding, and yet you are NOT giving up! This writing is professional development that cannot be matched by any other task or time commitment. Let go of the guilt that other school obligations might take a back seat. You taking time to write is professional growth that lots of students will benefit from--even indirectly, down the road a ways. Keep going!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear about the challenge you're doing. I've never done NaNoWriMo. As you may know from TWT, I'm engaged in the 750 Words November Challenge. Regardless of the writing challenge one partakes in it's hard work. Keep going. You know how great you'll feel by the end of this month, don't you?
ReplyDelete-Stacey
You deserve applause. That sounds like a huge challenge. Have you looked at the NaNoWriMo youth program http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/? There are lots of on line lessons available for a youth challenge. They have set it up for elementary aged kids and older.
ReplyDeleteLet us know how your challenge progresses.
Love your honesty. Love your ambition. I'm so proud of you!
ReplyDeleteI'm proud of your hard work! Writing is not easy. I can't wait to see what comes of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that you are trying such a big challenge! Don't worry about word counts and milestones -- just enjoy the journey, which it sounds like you are! It's so neat that you are sharing this experience with a group of students, too!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm not alone. And you are right, this challenge is VERY HARD. I'm already getting the evil eye from certain people in my house. Will you continue to blog about your process, Deb?
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the support. I'm going to continue blogging about it because it helps me focus and do what I need to do. The students like to just meet and talk and it helps us all know that it's OK to struggle! I had thought about doing it with my creative writing class, after I looked at the Young Writer's page, but since most were not enthusiastic, I decided against it--at least for this year.
ReplyDeleteWow again (I just read Diana'a slice)! Amazing--I am in awe.
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome! Something I'm not attempting to do . . . this year! Do what you can. The benefit is that you are writing and telling a story. Continue setting mini-goals for yourself! What an accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteYou're a real fighter and a writer to continue and have the desire to continue. Numbers get to me, too--just write.
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