Tomorrow is the start of NaNoWriMo. It’s the frenzy of novel writing that both excites and terrifies me. Even thinking about the years I have participated makes my blood pressure rise. This year, I find myself in possession of a completed but unedited manuscript. With this one sitting on the shelf and in desperate need of several more rounds of revision, I’m not doing the NaNo marathon.
I’m both sad and relieved. I love the camaraderie of all the writers on Twitter posting encouraging remarks and commiserating about the grueling month of hell we put ourselves through. But I hate the anxiety-riddled nights when the words just won’t come and I feel like I’m failing as a writer and putting the rest of my life on hold to do it. It’s a mixed bag .
The first manuscript I ever finished was thanks to NaNo, so it will always hold a special place in my heart for giving me the structure to take my first wobbly steps into writing. It also gets a lot of young people into the craft which is amazing.
Though I’m not participating this year, I salute all who are. It doesn’t matter whether you cross the finish line and end up on December 1st with 50k gorgeous words. What matters is you are writing every day and are proud to be doing so.
Good luck! You’ll need it 😉
Katherine Laurin 