Namaste, NaNoWriMo

I bow to you, NaNoWriMo, namaste, old friend.  You’ve pushed me to new feats of strength and endurance, forcing me to produce a towering pile of words that may, with mighty blows and judicious edits, someday transform into a publishable work of art, or something like that.

Now, What?

Yes, my friends and family, NaNoWriMo is over, but as my compatriot Glen Robinson asks, “Now what? 

Not that either one of us is at a loss for things to do.  Glen seems like he’s a busy guy, being a university professor, published writer, and the family handyman.

I know I’ve got a pile of neglected chores, and a husband who reminds me that he’s been neglected too.  (He didn’t seem too thrilled to hear that I was looking forward to spending quality time with him cleaning out the garage, currently reeking of dead rodent.  Go figure.)

Yes, I have chores aplenty, but I’m not even going to think about them until tomorrow.

Celebrate Good Times

Today, I rejoice in my accomplishment.  This year I’ve written something that I think may actually be worth publishing.  That’s a major step forward.

The first year, I thought I’d heed good counsel, and write about something I know.  Well, I’ve read almost every Romance novel ever written, and I have first hand knowledge about homeschooling.  And, I grew up in the Caribbean.  So I put it all together to write a Homeschooler Romance set in the Caribbean.  It sucked.  It hurt to write such crap, but I waded right in Xena-style, finished the word count, and set it aside forever.

The second year, I realized that writing what you know means, well, writing what you know.  I plumbed my memory and interviewed family members to gather all the sordid details in our family tree for a not-fictional-enough memoir modeled on Isabel Allende’s stories.  It was ugly: nervous breakdowns, schizophrenia, pedophilia, etc.  We have so many skeletons in our closet that the usual dysfunctional family stuff – poor parenting, neglect – just seems inconsequential by comparison.  When I was done with that NaNoWriMo project, it was good and important, but it hurt too much to look at it anymore.  Again, I set aside this novel, but maybe not forever.

You can see then why, when I say that this year’s NaNoWriMo writing project is worth publishing, that’s a major step forward.  For the first time, I like what I’ve written.  It’s still just a skeleton that needs fleshing out, and I’m not sure about the format, or even the voice.  But, I like the story lurking under the mess of words.

Today, I celebrate the accomplishment, but also the end of a grueling month filled with family crisis, multiple deadlines, and way too much work.  I went to the Yoga class that I’ve been meaning to attend for at least a year, and I signed up for a Mom Blog Makeover. 

I’m taking a deep, cleansing breath.  Looking inward and outward, smiling, and looking forward to the next project.  Namaste, Dear Friends.

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