Once again, I am taking on theNaNoWriMo challenge. And once again I got a ton of stuff going on which will make it even more of a challenge for me to “win”. It’s not going to stop me from trying though.
However, I will not commit to daily or even weekly updates this year. I honestly have too much going on. But I will update when and how I can–which means a lot more Twitter NaNo updates that actual blog posts about it .
Ok, off I go into NaNo land…. It’s 11/4/11 which means I’m already running behind. I know, I know. Not a good way to start off things, but I still have faith! The weekend is upon us and I have plans on churning out some serious word count.
Sometimes the life of a writer can be tough. It’s hard work dreaming up all these hot men and women to populate the worlds I create. No really, it is- LOL. So, I happened acrossed the2011 ESPN Body Issue the other day and WHOA!!!
I managed 216 new words yesterday. Not much but progress is progress, so I’ll take it. At first I wasn’t going to write anything, despite my plans to do so. I’ve really been struggling lately with actually putting my butt in the chair and my hands on the keyboard and working on any of my wips. Yes, I have a lot going on both professional and personally, but even taking that into consideration, there has been a tangible block to me writing. And I believe, no I know it’s been more mental than physical. But I received a call last night from a friend, who happens to also be a writer, and I was inspired/encouraged sit down and do something after our talk–which oddly enough only focused on writing for like 5 mins of our nearly 2 hr conversation.
So even though I didn’t want too, and even though I needed to go to bed within the next 20 mins, I pulled out the laptop and tackled a brand new scene in my UF wip. And with no plan or outline I might add, just a general thought I wrote down while doing my narrative outline last week. Amazingly, it went well. I’ve been so busy lately doing other things like workshop and program outlines, critiques, and brainstorming (all things I enjoy doing), that I’d forgotten how good it feels to let loose and just write. Once I tapped into that special place, the one where the natural words, cadence, ideas and imagery lives, the words just flowed. Yeah, it was only 20 mins and yes, it was only 216 words, but I was enough to get me back into the swing of things. I got my mojo back, I got the jones for that feeling back, I got the excitement about my story back, I got the confidence in my words and my abilities back. Those 216 words are so much bigger than the number seems.
I tell ya, Zen is the plane on which no inner critics exists. As a writer, I’ve got to learn to tune out my left brain better when I’m tackling right brained activities. There is a difference in the creative skill set needed to write vs the one needed to revise. I’ve also got to get back into my daily writing habit, even if it’s just 216 words a day I manage.
“Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not words. Trust movement.” ~Alfred Alder
Been in a bit of a funk lately, for a multitude of reasons. But from a writing perspective, I’ve been having MAJOR computer issues that have been frustrating, to say the very least. The second (and I mean the second) I get back into rhythm with brainstorming, writing, planning, creating…. the darn thing would either freeze, blink, or just not come the heck on!
But anywho, I have taken care of that problem and I’m officially jumping back into the saddle. I have a 90,000 word manuscript to revise and get in to my mentor, and I’ve given myself about a month to do it. So it’s time to do it to it!
But, back to my funky mood. As an author, it’s hard for me to write through certain emotions and trials. We’re all unique in that we all handle things different. Some of us thrive in the good times, while others are so busy not trusting it, refusing to live in the moment, that doubt and insecurity creep in– effectively chasing the “happy” away.
Without putting too fine a point on things, I’ve been in a bit of a rainy season myself. This also means different things to different people. Initially, when I make reference to rain or rainy seasons, I see bleak, gray skies, slippery mud, and crops, roads, and structures washing away in a resulting flood. A bit gloomy and tenebrous I know, but I do have an active imagination .
To this end, it’s not been a very fun time for me, however rain doesn’t always mean despair. For some rain is hope, salvation… life. Rain also signifies regrowth and rebirth. So the way I see it, I can either focus on the pain, dreariness, and destruction rain can bring…. Or I can let it wash away impurities and ties that try to bind, and look forward to the renewal.
So from this point on, the scent of rain lingering in my personal space will bring a smile to my face and hope to my spirit. So for those that say no rain, I say why not? It’s all in how you perceive and receive it.
For some reason, Blind Melon’s “No Rain” comes to mind, it’s one of my favs and just seems to fit right now.
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It’s that time again!
