October writing challenge

I recently realized that it was time for a fresh start in my writing.  September has almost always felt like a new year to me.  A chance to get back to normal - after a busy summer.  So I set some small goals for September and then I actually did something with them. 

…

DAILY WRITING HABIT

I decided to bring back my daily habit of writing at least 300 words - at least several days each week. As I look back on September I discovered that I did 12 days in a row and 25 for the month. Definitely a success.  I’ll take that.

For October I decided to bump it up another notch - as the next step of preparation for my big writing month of November.  For fifteen years now I have participated in NaNoWriMo - also known as National Novel Writing Month - when we write 50,000 words to earn a certificate.

Well, technically, NaNoWriMo is a misnomer, at least for me - because I don’t write novels.  And maybe because it was not just “national” but had become a global event.  Well, and now unfortunately the official NaNoWriMo is no more.  But the habit has been built and the benefit still matters - so at least for another year or three - I shall continue the discipline of cranking out 50K during November by averaging a couple thousand words per day.

October is the preamble, the chance to bump up the daily writing habit - from 300 words to something closer to 2K.  Hopefully this exercise will also produce something worth editing and actually using somewhere.

It is now mid-October and I am happy to report that I have indeed typed out a thousand words on seven of those days and at least 500 on another five days.  Feels like good progress on this next step.

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WEEKLY BLOG POSTS

My September writing challenge also included a goal of bumping up my posting frequency here on my blog.  I had been faithful to post at least once a month for a lot of years, but wanted to change that to SEVERAL times a month.  Sure enough, I posted 4 times in September - which is a good step toward my weekly publishing wish.

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September Challenge: Week Two Update

I turned the page from August to September with the idea of a September challenge.

I had been reminded of how effective a monthly challenge can be because of the relatively short time span. I also remember how significant September had become for me - almost thinking of it as my new year.

So I decided to challenge myself to bump up my daily walking - from my usual mile/day - to add another half-mile or maybe even more.

I am pleased to discover that I am doing well with that challenge - having walked 18 miles so far.

So yes, it’s working… 

And I am encouraged.

...

Somewhere in those transitional hours from August to September I also decided to set a writing challenge to augment my walking challenge.  

I had already been seeing my writing year as beginning in September - a time to rebuild my regular writing habits and to ponder my writing strategy for the coming months.

I chose as my main challenge to make sure that I am writing at least 300 words/day - for a minimum of 5 days/week or 20 days for the month.  So far I have succeeded every day of the first 11 days.

Early in the month I also pondered my wish of turning my monthly blogging habit into a weekly one. I decided to give it a try.  Sadly, I had begun to think I might not succeed with that one this week, but I guess I am. Right here. Right now. Taking that next step I am.

So there we go.

Small steps

Progress

Gratification

Writing Challenge

 September feels like a new beginning for me.

A fresh start.

Back to normal.

I have loved that September feeling for most of my life.

…

Since I started thinking of myself as a writer, it was probably natural that autumn would become significant in my annual writing cycle.

• In 2010 I started this blog and have posted something here pretty much every month in the years since.
• That was also the year that I began participating in NaNoWriMo - and have completed that project 17 times. 
• I soon realized that I might want to start thinking about my November writing project as early as September.
• I have built some excellent writing habits through these 17 years.

So here we are - and here I am.

It is September and time to start my writing year.

Time to get back in gear.

To rebuild my writing habit.

To stretch those writing muscles.

I hereby declare my September writing plan.

This month…

• I will pay attention to that habit of writing at least 300 words/day.  
• I also wish to bump up my posting frequency here - aiming for weekly posts.  I am putting that back into my reminder calendar at this very moment.

And so, my writing friends, do you have a September writing plan?

Could you use a fresh start?

My only advice is to keep it simple and do-able.

Happy September new year!

Novel November

’Tis the end of October

Which means tomorrow is the first of November

Otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month

I have participated 15 years now - writing over 50,000 words each year.  Two of those projects have since been published - although they are not novels, but rather are non-fiction books.  The other 13 drafts lie hidden away and may or may not ever again see the light of day.

I’ve mentioned elsewhere that the official NaNoWriMo is no more but that many of us still plan to write. I keep discovering new resources designed to encourage us during this project.

Allow me to recommend one that looks pretty cool - called First Draft November. Here’s the invitation and welcome:

NaNoWriMo is canceled.

Your novel isn't. 

Thirty days, one messy draft.

Join us for a month-long

novel writing challenge

helping you hit 50,000 words. 

...

Happy Writing, friends!

Sitting area finally ready for sitting

We have always called it our “sitting area” although some people remember the huge stacks of bins and boxes, etc. that were piled there on moving day.  

As the weeks turned into months a few of you may remember hearing me exclaim about how I was getting it down to like only three rows deep under those windows. 

And then how excited I was as Row Two started to disappear.

...

Well... during GoodStock at The Good Beans Cafe, my man checked out the rummage sale in the Anteroom and found a pair of cool chairs for our sitting area.  

So… it was time to tackle Row One for real. I am happy to report that I have now pared it down enough that we can actually sit there in our sitting area.  

Sitting room, library, lounge... whatever.

I call it progress!

It wasn’t until sometime later that we discovered

the lovely chairs once belonged to the amazing Sybyl Atwood. 

What to do about NaNo…

I have done NaNoWriMo for the last fifteen years.  In other words, every November since 2010 I have participated in National Novel Writing Month, joining thousands of writers around the world.  That first year I had no clue what I was doing, but I quickly learned that I must write 50,000 words during the month of November in order to win my NaNo certificate.  

I came up with some idea that I thought I might want to write about.  I decided my first priority would be to make the word count - whether I ended up with anything “good” or not.  Just do that word count. That decision turned out to be important even though it meant that I ended up with some strange lines full of silly admissions like “I don’t know what to write” repeated throughout some of the pages.  And I did it!  I made it to the word count goal that year.  And the next… Soon it was 5 years and then 10.  

As summer turns to fall, I begin wondering “What will I do for NaNo this year?  What shall I write about?"  I find myself putting it on my schedule to start preparing in September - or at least certainly October - brainstorming and experimenting and trying out ideas for that year’s NaNo challenge.  

In those early years, I often kept going into December.  Kept writing as long as I could think of things to write.  Most of those projects are tucked away in some hibernation chamber… er, um… I mean file folders somewhere.  But, on two specific projects, I worked all through the winter - and even ended up publishing them!

Gradually, this annual rhythm of NaNoWriMo helped form my writing focus. 

Gear up in the fall.

Write like crazy in November.

Try to capture whatever else is still in my head in December.

Then figure out what to do with it during the winter.

Sure enough I had built a sort of annual writing rhythm.

… 

However, something happened this year.

The ground has shifted in the NaNo-verse.

The news is out; NaNoWriMo is no more.

No more fun and encouraging exercises from the NaNo staff.

No more NaNo merch.

No more certificates for our 50k words!

No more gearing up in September and October to write in November.

So now what do we do?

Never fear; turns out NaNoWrimers are a tenacious bunch.

Who says we can’t do NaNo this year?

I mean... I can still write anyway?

Even if NaNoWriMo, the official organization, is no more?

I can still brainstorm in September, and start experimenting in October?

That I can still gear up to write 50,000 words during November?

I guess that is all true.

For any of us.

After all, WE are the ones that pounded out those words every year.

We are the ones who set the goals and took the steps.

We show up to reach our daily goals… week after week.

We can still do them.

…

Yes, I am sad that there is no more NaNoWriMo.

It was an amazing thing and made a huge difference in my life.

I wish it was still around.

But I can still write.

I can take advantage of the things I learned from NaNo.

The things I tried.

The things that worked AND the ones that didn’t.

I am grateful for NaNoWriMo, for the idea.

I am grateful that Chris Baty’s vision came to life in 1999.

I’m grateful that my pastor friend, Ron, told me about it in 2010.

I’m grateful for my NaNo buddies in that very first year… 

…and most recently at the Marian E. Wright Writing Center

I’m glad for the brainstorming we are doing and the good ideas people suggest.

Sure enough, it's time!

Time to figure out what I’m writing for NaNo this year.

Let’s do this thing!

Posting at least once a month

Another month comes to a close. Yet again I realize I have not posted here this month - so it’s time to do so. Good thing I made that commitment to myself to post at least once a month.

Of course, only one post per month can feel pretty lame, but it feels better than not having written at all.  And so here I am, looking for something to write about.

Perhaps I happened upon the perfect title for this place.

Wondering as I wander

I wonder about so many things.

I also wander around... here and there with thoughts on one topic or another.

On this last day of August, I find myself thinking about seasons. 

And about writing.

About my writing seasons.

My writing habits and patterns.

About my writing future.

Do I want to continue writing?

Am I in fact a writer?

Reminder to self: 

At some point I decided that I am a writer if I am indeed writing.

And I am hereby taking note of the fact that I am writing today.

Therefore I am a writer.

Today.

Winter projects

We have been in the midst of moving.

For months I have been culling our stuff.

So much stuff.

Stuff piles up.

Stuff clutters our homes and our lives.

Stuff takes up space.

Some stuff likes to be ignored as it sits quietly in dark corners of the basement.

But moving time provides a good chance to face the piles and get rid of the stuff no longer needed.  And so we are. 

I tackled my archives.  

So many bins filled with so many sheets of paper.

Notes from courses taken.

Lesson plans for courses taught.

I sorted and pitched.

I recycled reams of paper.

But I also began to discover patterns.

Stories about who I had been decades ago.

Stories that disclosed that I wasn’t always right.

Stories of lessons learned.

Health and healing and transformation.

I found fresh appreciation for my life.

I suddenly realized the great privilege before me.

This huge task gradually shifted its very shape.

Yes, it was still something that I’ve “got to do.”

But… it also showed itself as something I GET to do. 

Who gets this kind of gift?

Who gets to sit down in retirement years and read through one’s own history?  This is the stuff of my life. My heritage.

Who gets to pause and sift through the memories and celebrate one’s own life?

Who gets to assess one’s direction while there’s still time to make changes?

A few file boxes were selected.

These few DID make the move with me.

However they will not be hauled to THIS basement.

They will not be forgotten again.

Instead they are sitting right here so I can see them every day.  

I often pause to greet them.

I look forward to sitting down together for the read of a lifetime.  

I daydream about writing projects that will come together. 

Any number of topics wait for me to glean those memories.

But first some precious time to read.

To remember and to marvel.

What a fun project for this next season!