The True Meaning of Nano (for me, at least)

My job is to keep my Wrimos
stocked in sugar and motivation

Day One started with a bang, but since that intense opening scene, I've been whimpering. The words are coming, I really like my idea, and the characters are starting to take shape...but something has been missing.

I finally figured out what it is.

November is no longer the only month of the year that I write. I am missing the excitement I usually feel when embarking on 30 Days of trying to write every day, because I've been writing every day for the last three months already.

So while all the newbies and the weekend warriors who only write in November are blasting through Week One excited and motivated and clocking huge word counts, I am plodding along at the 1,667 words to stay on track, feeling more like it's Week Two.

I know this slow and steady pace will get me to the end. But I want this to be fun! I want to be excited. I want to love my story so much that I keep going back to read over it.

My opening scene is that way. I still read it and love it (you can read it, too - I have it posted on the Current Writing Projects page). I need to find that magic again.

On the upside, I am still having the time of my life this November. I have a whole crew of writers that I get to boss around and administer sugar to. It brings me back to the Christmas analogy: I love getting and giving gifts, of course, but to me, the holidays are more about spending time with family.

I've realized it's the same for Nanowrimo. I love writing. Really. I'm a writer. It's what I do. But for Nanowrimo, it's about the community that forms during November that I look forward to the most now. Anyone can sit and try to write 50,000 words in a month by themselves. Some will succeed. Many will fail. The magic of Nano is in the writers themselves.

Photo compliments of Dave DeHetre

It's like I told Jason in the comments of my last post: my writers are my adoptive family. They are the people who understand exactly what I'm going through because they've been there themselves, who will celebrate my successes with me and comfort me through my failures, who will push me to be a better writer and put myself out there.

I hate to be sappy about it, but it's true. And it's important.

And if any of you make fun of me for this, I will probably cry.

So this year, between painful sprints of writing, I troll the forums, exchange tweets, and haunt our Facebook page to stay in touch with the family.

And I am really looking forward to this Sunday's write-in.