NanoWrimo

Every year, I tell myself this will be the year I will do it... I will write 50, 000 words manuscript in a month and get it out of my system. That is the event of NanoWrimo ( National Novel Writing Month), which begins every year on the 1st November. The focus seems to be quantity rather than quality to force the more inertia driven writers to take risks and lower their expectations and perhaps finish that novel they have been meaning to do.

This is my problem. You see, I love the actual art of writing. I take pleasure in choosing the words and playing with them and testing them out on the page. And unlike life, you get plenty of second chances and you can just press erase and start again.  Some writers see it as a form of therapy, expel their demons or write because they can't do without. And I have known some people plagued by writers block and obsessed with it. This is where I differ. My first passion is reading and the writing followed on from that. Probably because I am an insomniac by nature and found an outlet in writing which was better than midnight television...well it makes sense to me anyway.

I think that up to the age of 15 I was a very shy kid, writing, teaching myself the guitar to blend in a bit better and then joining drama club. I had wonderful teachers who kindly encouraged me and challenged me to think outside the box. I was shy but that does not mean I liked to conform...If anything it taught me to question everything. Ever since, the early exercises in writing helped me shape my opinions and thoughts on paper. The only drawback is that you can become so introspective you lose all eloquence to actually say what you mean.

I must give credit to Drama club as well in high school. I loved every minute on stage.  It made me come out of my shell more, make new friends and explore new avenues of expression. I wasn't very good at it, I remember wanting to do a drama part and being offered comedy instead. But it do not matter as I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, from the camaraderie, to the breathing exercises and ultimately forgetting to wipe off the fake moustache on the bus ride home after rehearsal...I got some very strange looks at the time as you can imagine!

Anyway I digress which is so easy to do when you first put your thoughts on paper ( or a computer screen) and let it take you on a journey.

I do have short stories and novel ideas and a couple of chapters written and I could probably do with a kick to complete it. However I don't think I will be imposing looming deadlines on myself and turn the art of writing into a pressure cooker. I have a complete manuscript of 50 odd poems I might send off to some agents and publishers. But that's a whole other story for another day.