No that was not a bunch of typoes in the title of this blog. NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth or NANOWRIMO sometimes shortened to NANO is a month packed full of writers trying to reach a minimum word count of 50,000. The object is to complete a novel from start to finish in one month, edit it in december and ship it out in January to publishers. Many writers do sell the stories they have written during NANOWRIMO. I’m not one of them. I’ve YET to finish a novel in November. I’m one of those people who find deadlines very restricting, and they cause my muse to run amok for the month.

I try. I really honestly do. I find other writers who are participating and offer encouragement to them while they encourage me. It’s that feeling that I have to acomplish 50k or I’m a failure that makes me crash and burn every single year. Yet I continue to sign up. I can write 4-6k a day with no problems, but in November I struggle to reach 200 words a day. Why is it that I do this? Perhaps I focus too much on what I still need to accomplish? Perhaps it is the excel spreadsheet that I whip up to track my writing for that month? Perhaps it is hearing about writers who can whip out 10k a day? I honestly don’t know how they can do that. Are they homemakers without children? I have four children, and on my best day when I was still a homemaker I could reach 6k, but only by not making any meals, getting up early, staying up late, and not cleaning a damn thing. Not doing any homework, nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Perhaps this year I won’t reach 50k either, but I’ll be there, trying. Will you?

Michelle