Last Sunday morning, I committed to NaNoWriMo. The next 24 hours I scrambled to re-schedule extra-curriculars, order groceries, reply to overdue emails, fold laundry, and coordinate online-schooling so that I could reach my goal of writing 2000 words a day in the hopes of completing a crappy first draft by December 1.
Do people typically commit to NaNoWriMo impulsively? Based on the Reddit threads, message boards, and superfluous facebook groups…no? I don’t think so? Or maybe. We slide under the radar. More boots on the ground, then flash. I hope.
I’m writing a young adult novel. I started it two years ago at a cabin in the California woods, huddled up with my Berkeley writing group. Then we came home and the pandemic hit the U.S. I shelved my book, my job, and most social interaction for a year.
Pulling up the draft on Google Docs in 2021, almost two years after initially starting the draft, almost gave me hives. Was it stale? Would I care about my characters anymore? I ended up writing for a couple hours and answered my own question. Last night I dreamed about my protagonist. I jot notes between stirring chicken tortilla soup and policing screens. When I get in the shower, I wish for a water-proof dry-erase board—what about showering makes the ideas pour down?
More than anything, the act of sitting down to write and then standing up hours later to thousands of words and aching forearms, I feel renewed. My brain feels exhausted in the best way. The writing hours I set apart every day renew my belief in myself that I can and do things for myself, by myself, just because I want to. I wish I didn’t have to relearn that lesson but I’m beginning to understand its so woven into our lives and family histories it may be necessary.
I hope you have the very best week. Thanks for following along. See you in 20,000 more words?
Koseli
P.S. I’ve paused my podcast for a couple weeks while I focus on writing. See you in early December. xo
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Wow! I can’t wait to read it!