Happy NaNoWriMo!

November is a much celebrated month among my kind – the writer folk, that is.

It’s known as NaNoWriMo, or “National Novel Writer’s Month” for those of you without close writing friends. “National Novel Writer’s Month” is a mouthful, so it’s no wonder that my kind decided to abbreviate it as NaNoWriMo.

Plus it’s just kind of fun to say. (I know you’re repeating it to yourself as you read this!)

But of course, going around saying NaNoWriMo makes me sound like a gibberish-speaking idiot, unless you know what I’m referencing. Either that or you’re thinking that I’m uttering a secret code – which is truer for those of you with writer friends.

I promise you, no such pretense is taking place. It’s just an abbreviation.

I had actually never heard of NaNoWriMo before this year and was quite interested to learn that there was an entire month dedicated to people like me.
Wait, scratch that for a second; NaNoWriMo is an entire month set aside not only for people like me, but it’s a month set aside just for me!

A writer friend and I used to joke about who would be published first and about letting instant fame go to our heads. I used to say that someday I’d walk by a busy book signing and be surprised to learn that it was my friend and when I called to her, she would look at me down her nose and say, “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

Sometimes people don’t realize how much work it actually is to become a published author. I have nothing but the utmost respect for published authors because they have endured a huge test to have gotten where they are.

Writing is a lot of work. I’ve been writing for nearly a decade now and I’m still slaving away on unfinished projects. I don’t have problems so much with writer’s block as much as I have schedule block… you know, that ailment in which you are repressed for time on any one job because of the sheer number of tasks you have to complete. My mom says that I just need to prioritize and organize my life better. She’s probably right. I just think I have some sort of writer’s ADD because I’m so easily distracted…

Oh, right! NaNoWriMo. That’s what we were talking about – let’s get back to it, shall we?

November is a good month to get your creative juices flowing, so I can see why that month was chosen as NaNoWriMo. It must have something to do with all the reflection going on because of Thanksgiving. And, it’s getting closer to the end of the year (I like to pretend that I’m not the only person already thinking about New Year’s resolutions), so people are rushing to finish up projects.

In the spirit of the first, I’ve spent the majority of this NaNoWriMo just thinking on my current (multiple) manuscripts. No matter what, I’m going to keep pressing on, and someday I promise you will see my name on the cover of a published novel.

And Scouts' Honor, I won’t let the fame go to my head.

“…You look familiar…Have we meet?”

Happy NaNoWriMo to all my writer friends!