Come join Alex J. Cavanaugh and the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We discuss our fears, insecurities, ups and downs of the writing process and post the first Wednesday of every month! http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html
Living in the Midwest for most of my life has been a dream come true for this lover of fall. Who's gearing up for NaNoWriMo? The National Novel (in November) Writing Month kick starts my brain into high gear. Every year I participate, but I never register. One year while teaching fifth grade I registered my entire class. Every kid in my class wrote a novel. Achievement unlocked.
I must confess, I always begin writing my new novel a few weeks earlier in October. My goal is to finish it by the end of November with the rest of the NaNoers. So my goal remains the same every year: roughly six weeks and I have myself a brand new novel. I'm already 10,000 words into my precious, another upper middle-grade contemporary fantasy, but I fear I am quickly falling behind. I do love a challenge though!
What's so special about the fall season and writing books? Inspiration. My favorite season rapidly spreads inspiration into my veins like a flesh eating bacteria. Maybe that's a visual you weren't expecting, but it works.
Sometimes we just need a good excuse to get our butts back in the writing chair. And the fact that thousands of writers all over the world are participating in NaNo gives us a powerful motivation to join the party. Facebook, twitter, and critique groups all offer support and endless writing articles during this crazy month of cranking out a novel in thirty days.
So as you cozy up to the fireplace, your ten cups of coffee and your computer, remember to harness the inspiration all around you. Take my youngest teenage son, for example. I seriously can't make this stuff up. He came home from football practice the other day and said, "Mom, guess what we're reading in lit class? To Kill a Mocking Jay."
He was clueless. I laughed until my sides hurt.
So who's with me? Writing this month? Finishing up edits? Enjoying this season? Just for the record, the city of Hannibal is stunning in the fall.
