Yeah. I know.
See, my heart wasn't in it this year. I couldn't put my finger on why. I had done hardly any planning, knew it was going to be a ghost story (a little bit more than that, but I'm not completely dropping the story, might end up finishing it one day so I'm not telling...), had two character names and that was it.
This would have been my 8th Nanowrimo. I did two in Holland and this would have been my 6th one in England. My first couple of Nanowrimo's were about whether or not I could actually write 50 000 words in a month. Turned out that yes, I could do that. Quite easily, in fact.
Then came the challenge of actually finishing the story itself, writing 50 000 words and actually come up with a beginning, middle bit and an ending. That was a bit more difficult, but I did that too. The last three Nanowrimo's were coomplete stories and I was ever so proud.
So this year, I didn't feel the challenge. I wrote 5004 words yesterday and I didn't enjoy it. It felt like a chore. I was thinking of all the things I couldn't do this month because the writing does take up a lot of free time. I was doing it because I've done it for so many years now.
So I quit. I feel bad about it, but at least I quit now and not forced myself to keep on writing for another week, hating it more and more each day.
And hey, this gives me more time for art! Yayyy! Be prepared for more 'Urban Sketching from home' posts. Ohyeah!!
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Sorry to hear you've dropped out, but you've got to do what you gut says and if you're not happy doing it then it's never a good thing to force yourself. I'm doing AEDM as well as Nanowrimo which is I guess is the art equivalent, it's a lot more relaxed it's just a nudge to create something daily (however small), here's a link with the info if you want to have a look: http://creativeeveryday.com/art-every-day-month
ReplyDeleteMuch love
Jenny x
Although I'm sure it was a hard decision, it sounds like it was the right decision for you! I am so impressed with 8 years... WOW.
ReplyDeleteIf it's no longer a challenge, then use the time for other creative pursuits -- as long as you're happy, this is what matters!!
Best wishes, tj
Thank you both!
ReplyDeleteJust popped on in b/c I did a search on people who've quit doing NaNo. While I did it for three years and found it invigorating, inspiring, and all-around writerly-affirming, I can't fathom doing it this year either, at least not all the way. I have an idea and I'd like to peck at it, but mostly I'm going to fill the time with writing smaller stories, as many as I can.
ReplyDeleteWhether I make word count or not, I don't plan on doing it anymore after this year; I feel like the challenge is gone for me as well, and the new challenge is to polish things up and try to publish.
So do not feel bad about quitting! Knowing when to walk away from something that isn't feeding you (either literally or creatively...) is hard for some people to wrap their minds around. Thanks for posting this!