I began the 111 Day Writer’s Journey with the best of intentions. Truly, I did! Truth be told, I haven’t been as invested or excited about this venture as the I did last year (111 Day Artistic Spirit Pledge). I’m 43 days in and have skipped days, ultimately blending two in one on numerous occasions. Am I being lazy? Am I unmotivated? Did I think too big and not know how to follow through? I’ve wondered about those questions a lot the past week and came to a conclusion: The goal was to write – and that’s exactly what I’m doing!
DAY 42: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. – ABOUT page on Nanowrimo.org
Writing 50,000 words in 30 days? Can I do it! Will it be any good? Quite frankly, I don’t care about the level of quality at the end of this undertaking. My goal is to reach that 50,000 word count and even surpass it. (What is this and how can you join? Check out the website to learn more about how it works.)
I’ve considered taking part in this annual challenge in years past, but my focus quickly waned. “I’ve got a YA novel to edit and blogs to manage; I can’t commit to 1,667 words per day!” However, I decided to see it through this time. What changed? My YA novel still needs publication, and my blogs remain a key outlet for my creative writing, but I needed to step outside of my comfort zone. On November 1st, I figured I’d give it a try and see whether anything of value took shape. At the end of Day 3 of #NaNoWriMo, I’ve written almost 5,000 words on a brand-new story that’s got my attention. I am excited about where it will lead, but mainly I’m just having fun writing. I’m not second-guessing myself or editing as I go. I’m writing and that’s what matters.
If any of you are also taking part in NaNoWriMo, please don’t forget to cheer one another on via social media. We can do this!
DAY 43: Writing Prompt Wednesday – Unlimited Potential
I’m using this week’s Writing Prompt Wednesday image to inspire the continuation of my NaNoWriMo venture. Perhaps you’ll find that it sparks your own creativity.
Use the image above as creative inspiration. Draft a short story, poem, song, or in-depth essay. There are no right or wrong answers. Just write!
Kelly Deeny 