When I was a little girl I wanted to work at Dunkin Donuts because I heard that sometimes the employees got to take home extra donuts at the end of the night. Then I wanted to be an artist of some kind. I would make a fort and glue popsicle sticks to pop tabs and call it art. When someone would interrupt this creative process, I would scream that I needed privacy because I was making a “cwaft.” Then I wanted to be a writer. And thank goodness for that.
Writing has been my refuge for as long as I can remember. I love writing in every form. I am wildly fortunate in the fact that this was always encouraged in me – which is insane considering this is some of my early work:
Regardless, I eventually settled into the idea that I wanted to be a writer. I read constantly. I wrote every day. My mother bought me blank books from the craft store where I created entire worlds in the matter of an afternoon. I tried my hand at poetry and fiction and nonfiction. As I moved through high school, I took any chance to learn more about speech writing and storytelling. In college, I switched my major/minor combination 3 times, but the one thing that remained through it all was writing.
November 1 marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)– where each year thousands of writers from around the globe participate in a challenge: write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Every year I’ve wanted to participate but there was always something in the way – some reason I shouldn’t.
With the marathon only a few days away, I realize there is no better time to take on a new challenge. This year, I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month. It’s going to be an extreme test of myself and my scribing abilities. It will be the most consistent piece of long form writing I’ve ever done and I am excited.
Regardless as to whether I make the 50,000 word count by 11:59 on November 30th, I am eager to take part in something that will challenge me in new ways.
To learn more about NaNoWriMo or to get involved, click here.
Love always,
Liz