Greetings, fellow Kansans and Wrimos!
Three days left, and then the month begins! I don’t know about you, but I’m nervous. I think I have a solid plan, after almost a month of reworking it, yet the trepidation of a new start still hangs over my head. As always.
Despite what you might think, over a decade of participation doesn’t remove the fear of failure. I am always convinced I will somehow make the beautiful novel I’ve envisioned into a sprawling, lifeless mess. And there will be days in the coming month that every word will fall flat. I know this.
But there will be other days when the words will fly, when the world will come alive on my computer screen, my characters talk, and laugh, and love in ways I did not expect. There will be days when I wish I did not have to leave my story for the mundane structure of my own life, when the adventure catches me up in euphoria, when I feel as strong and brave as these people who do not exist. Even the days I dread, when I will taste their grief as certainly as my own, and the universality of pain and loss will haunt my thoughts though the story continues.
These days only come when I am knit into my story, hour by hour, week by week. When I have allowed my mind to play in the imaginary world long enough to know the rules, when the consistent plodding of one word after another forms connections beyond conscious recognition. NaNoWriMo has always brought these moments to me, even in the years of “failure.” All it takes is for me to show up, and put down the words.
If you are reading this, I know you also contemplate the coming month. Perhaps you don’t share my concerns at all, or perhaps you are paralyzed by uncertainty. Regardless, we are all in this together. And I hope, we will all end the month together.
Check out the regional calendar. We have more write-ins scheduled in more areas than I have seen in three years of being ML for Kansas: Elsewhere; if you want to add another, shoot me a message and perhaps we can round up some others in your area. I also plan to set up regional word sprints on a weekly basis for those who can’t attend any write-ins in person.
The beauty of NaNoWriMo is not just the deadline, and the necessity of writing daily, it’s the community of other crazies writers who are doing the same thing, at the same time. We may be scattered to the far corners of Kansas, but we are not alone. You are not alone, wherever you are. Whatever your thoughts toward the month ahead, someone else feels the same.
So go on. Introduce yourself on the forums. Tell us what you want to write this year. Ask questions.
In three days, we’ll each begin to write our own stories, but our purpose will be the same. I have to say, I find that amazing. And I’m glad to share the journey with this wild, quiet region.
Elemental Orison 