Why I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year…

…despite lots of ‘good reasons’ why not.

I’ve just signed up to participate in the fun and madness that is NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month)

…Even though I’m not a novelist.

…Even though I’ve been on a mission to simplify my life and reduce my commitments.

…Even though the coming weeks could be the busiest and most intense of my whole year. (Featuring a house move and a big family wedding. In Austria.)

So, why am I doing NaNoWriMo?

And why now?

Despite all the ‘good reasons’ for not doing it this year, I also have 8 great reasons to go for it…

1. The Call

In the immortal words of one of my heroines, Amelia Earhart…

“I want to do it because I want to do it.”

I do have a fair few reservations, but something about it is calling me.

And I’ve learned that magical things happen to me when I answer those calls. 

2.  Productivity

I’ve had a number of book ideas at various stages of progress for the last couple of years.

I’ve been so focussed on the lovely work of helping other writers with their books, that my own have been patiently waiting on the backburner.

It’s time to see at least one of those projects make it out into the world.

I have a dream of writing a book a year for the rest of my life, and this fun/crazy NaNoWriMo challenge will support me in that goal. 

3. Joy

I love writing books!  

4. Expression

I like the idea of putting my writing first for a whole month, and feeling I deserve support and help in prioritising something that matters to me. 

5. Research

This is something of a creativity experiment.

This intense method of creating is new ground for me and I want to explore it.

I’ve been working on a theory about how we create best under certain conditions. (I call it Creative Calmfidence. 🙂 )

And to test that theory,  I’m experimenting with the opposite – to see how both ways work for me. 

6. The power of focus

Despite the uncertainty…

Which book project to choose?

Will I have time?

Will it be too much?

And most importantly – will I enjoy it?!

(Joy is a major factor in my decision-making.)

Despite these unanswered questions, I know that if I intend to do it, if I choose to focus, if I decide to go for it regardless – something will come out of it.

(If only how to not do it.) 

7. My clients and readers

I believe this experience will benefit my work in supporting other creatives.

I write a lot about the creative process, and I am dedicated to supporting creative people.

And to do both these things well, I like to spend time in the creative trenches, up against the challenges that my clients face.

I’m continually investing time and energy and devotion into being the best creativity coach I can be, and this is one way to explore new solutions and gain new insights.

So, if all I gain from NaNoWriMo is more compassion and understanding for my clients, it will be worth it.

And finally, and this was the clincher…

8. The Nudge

I felt very strongly ‘nudged’ by my inner creative voice, what I call ‘my muse‘.

I’ve toyed with the idea of NaNoWriMo before, but this year, I was inexplicably drawn to it.

It felt like a divine mandate.

My muse – my source of inspiration and inner guidance – was very clear;

Do this.

Even though it made no sense – she offers no explanation, she cares little for logic, she just asks that I trust.

And after following my muse’s nudges for the last few years – I know it will lead somewhere surprising and wonderful.

I’ve learned to follow her mysterious ways.

So, I’m in!

I’m excited. I’m nervous. And I’m doing it.

I want to see what happens when I just commit, stop questioning, ignore the excuses, and do it anyway.

I’ll keep you posted!

PS If you’d like to know more about my studies of ‘the muse’ – and how she makes life so easy and fun! – you can get the full scoop here.

Or to rekindle your own connection, I’ve created a daily email series to help you. 

More details below…

UPDATE:

 Well… I did it! 

What happens when you move house in the middle of #nanowrimo ? 

You have a very busy writing day on November 30th!  (8000-word catch-up sprint!!). 

Very happy to report a successful first Nano – and a very happy last day of writing. 🙂

It’s been quite a challenge and I’ve learned A LOT (which was my main aim for taking it on) and I’ll be sharing my lessons learned over the weeks ahead -stay tuned!

For now, though it’s time for a well-earned breather, which – given the temperature – will probably involve wine, blazing fire and a book. (Need to catch up on my reading after all this writing!) 

#love #writing #thankyou #nanowrimo #success #overandout

And I’ve done it again since, and I’m planning to dive into the NaNoWriMo fun and madness again this year, too. (Albeit as a NaNoRebel.)

As I suspected, I learned some fab tips to help my clients but also some useful insights that I put together in a new blog post to help all my fellow NaNoPreppers.

PINNABLES…