Saturday, November 3, 2012

Enter November!


It’s November!  I was excited to see the comments from Katherine and Kayla last time about their NaNo thoughts.  Kayla, how is it going for you????  Katherine, did you decide to do something this year?

For me, it’s only 3 days into my version of NaNo and I already bombed the first two.  :(  Both days I meant to write, had ideas to write, and even scribbled some sketchy wayward scraps onto paper, but Life interfered and nothing actually got done, other than teary diary writing at one AM this morning.  Big Gusty Sigh.

So I decided to revamp my NaNo goal this year.  Instead of writing every day, I will do something crafty or creative every day.  It might be scratching words on paper, or it might be a half-hour of twisting myself into a pretzel to photograph sunbeams through broken glass in the sidewalk crack.  Or it could be creating new clothes from the mountain of plus-size sweaters and shirts in my closet.  Or making Christmas gifts.  Or experimenting with papercrafting.  The only thing which doesn’t count is pinning on Instagram.  :D

And no, changing my goal is absolutely not cheating, because NaNo is about personal goals.  And while I want to wear the ink-spattered cloak of words again, to feel the buzz of characters and stories inside my brain, I also want to see jewels where others see broken glass, and I want to capture it on film so they can see the diamonds too.  And every other crafty thing.  I think NaNo for me this year is about taking hammer and chisel to the dingy brick wall which has held my creativity captive for the past two years.  That sounds melodramatic but in reality that is just how it feels.  I never realized how essential the act of creation was to the well-being of my soul until that part of me shriveled up in Florida.  And now that I’m out of that situation my soul is like a toddler just beginning to walk – it needs to create.  Now.  Now.  NOW!

Yes, I probably am certifiable. 

Anyway.  With my schedule of insanity writing and photography and crafting consistently make it to the cramped margins of my to-do list, which means they stay to-do and never get done.  And…that’s why I’m changing my goal to make them priorities instead of luxuries.  Unorthodox, but my creative soul is very excited.

Did I mention I love November?!

1 comment:

  1. November is awesome - this year I'm loving it because I'm getting to read along as one of my favorite authors does NaNo. So fun to get a chapter a day... XD

    I know I want to finish the novel I'm currently working most on (it's. sooooo. close!!!) but at the same time I should really be formatting the short story I'm going to self-publish this winter... so I'm torn between both goals - I should really just pick one and go for it, shouldn't I? :)

    Love your goal! Haha, all writers may be certifiable... XD but you are so right - creativity isn't a luxury; we NEED it.

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