NaNoWriMo Manifesto

Last week I talked about how I’m modifying NaNoWriMo and participating as a NaNo Rebel. I’m aiming for 50 hours of editing instead of 50,000 words. Because my goal is so different, I’m not signing up on the forums, and I’m not sure how much I’ll be hanging around other NaNoers (online or in real life).

But.

NaNo has always been my month to recommit to writing, and even if I’m a rebel this year, I’m not going to let that get away from me.

The Rest of the Year

In months other than November…

…I busy myself with things that feel productive (blogging, working on Turtleduck Press stuff, networking), might be more gratifying in the short term, and are in fact important parts of a writing career — but aren’t the core of what I need to be doing.

…I write short fiction, which is fine and allows me to sharpen my writing skills — but it’s not where my heart is.

…I allow myself to be distracted by the Internet (understatement of the century).

A Reminder

At the end of my life, am I going to wish I watched more cat videos? Sure, the Internet has given me good friends, good stories, things that induce joy and laughter, as well as brain candy (and I’ve gotta tell you, sometimes the brain just needs candy).

But it’s not why I’m here. It’s not my calling. It’s not what makes me feel like my deepest self.

Manifesto

In November…

…I will recommit to my art.

…I will edit with joy.

…I will dig deeper and enrich my writing.

…I will live and breathe my novel.

…I will not permit silly excuses, or procrastination, or fear, to get in the way of my dreams.

…I will reward myself as necessary until the reward becomes no longer necessary.

…I will do what I must to meet this goal.

And I will take the habits and lessons learned, and I will practice them going forward (though scaled back to allow for other parts of life). Because NaNo is just one month, but my dream of writing is for always.

Your turn! If you’re doing NaNoWriMo, what are your goals for the month (besides 50,000 words, obviously)? Even if you’re not participating or are not a writer, how can you recommit to your dreams?

 

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