NaNoWriMo

So, we're in October now… I knew NaNoWrimo was drawing closer, but it still managed to sneak up on me. Just one more month of freedom before my mind melts in the chaotic frenzy of writerly abandon.

This will be my third year battling the novel demons. I hope for triumph, but I never really know what's going to happen until it's happened.

In 2011, I went with carefully laid plans. I lead an army of loyal characters, men and women armed with a plethora of strengths, weaknesses, and conflicts. I armoured myself with a plot of epic proportions (for me, atleast), and took up the sword of language. But even the best laid plans go to hell once the combat starts.

For the first fifteen thousand words, victory seemed assured. But the enemy was crafty; he turned my characters and plots against me. Amidst growing doubts, I floundered onwards. I refused to give in, but my desperate actions only dug me deeper. After 30K of hard fighting I was forced to face defeat.

I'd killed my story…

Yet, despite that, I can still remember my first NaNo. I remember how bodly I strode, a prayer my only weapon, daring the winds to stop me. Oh, how I wrote recklessly. Words rewarded my courage, giving me more than I had thought possible. I conquered.

So, then, this year is the tie breaker. This year makes or breaks my NaNoing soul… Except it doesn't, because I know that, in this game, one win is worth the suffering of a dozen losses.

So, win or lose, I will continue NaNo. I will continue to write, even if a prayer is all that drives my pen, even if Christ is all I have left. Because when it comes down to it, Christ is all I need.

Are you up to the challenge? Will you walk with us into the shadows? NaNoWriMo is a month away, but the time to prepare, if preparation suits you, is now.

Go mbeannaí Dia duit,
M. S.