NaNoWriMo is sweeping me along. The quality of the writing is low, but the fact is – the writing there for me to judge. It’s not just an idea in my head, it’s a reality on the page that come December – or maybe January – I will be able to mold into something of which I can be proud. A reality that is currently hitting around 25,000 words.
And it’s not killing me. I’m still doing other things. I’ve kept up with my lesson plans. I get plenty of sleep. Ok, so I’m behind on the dishes, but that’s more due to my laziness than a lack of time. I’ve been feeding myself with words and images. I’m still blogging. I edited a short story and submitted it to a contest. I had a paper accepted into a religion conference at an Ivy League university. I finished reading a light romance novel, then started another, along with a few more serious philosophy texts. I’m reading Mark Twain’s How to Tell a Story and Other Essays. I took a couple of days off and went for a light hike last weekend. The next day I wrote over 4,000 words and caught right back up, because the time outside cleared my brain and let me reconnect with my story. I let myself edit a bit as a reward, and it felt wonderful.
I love that I can spend so much of my time writing, reading, and teaching. It’s paper writing season, according to my syllabi, and I’m having a wonderful time working with students to help them develop their ideas. They constantly surprise me. I am so lucky that this is my job.
And NaNoWriMo isn’t hurting this, which gives me hope for a future of teaching and writing simultaneously. It’s possible. Doable, even.
Especially if I keep filling my head with good words, good conversation, good hygge, and good images like the ones I gathered on my little hike.
And I’ve also this article from the Writer’s Digest blog to keep me focused.
