As we near the end of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I am trying not to be too hard on myself. I know I will not write 50,000 words of my novel this month, but I have been working hard. It turns out that life throws all kinds of junk at us and some people might be much better at dodging the debris than I am. Maybe. Or maybe I’m just out of practice. That’s why I need to keep up the pressure even after this month ends … small steps forward are better than no steps.
My habit is to drop everything and take care of whatever new crisis comes along, regardless of the severity. I’ve had the time and I like to help others, so I would volunteer whenever needed. But now I want to shift the some of my time to something that is valuable to only me (at least so far), my writing. And, not surprisingly, this leads me to doubt myself and my priorities. So far, all the work I’m doing in writing my novels, my blogs, and my podcasts as well as learning and mastering the technology that these projects entail, hasn’t led to income or accolades. These things are traditionally what keep us going in our pursuits. I have a hope that eventually people will connect with my writing and either find motivation or entertainment. This, in turn, will silence all the voices of judgement, real or imagined, that tell me that I need to do something more practical. In the meantime, I will listen to the successful authors and artists who say the key is to keep doing what you love and never give up.
So, I will post this blog, and record the latest podcast, and write those words of my novel, and then apologize nicely when I’m not able to get to the next crisis until I’m done. NaNoWriMo may be almost over, but I’m not!
Comments are closed.