I opened an email from NaNoWriMo the other day that reminded me that I have been a participating writer for the last 15 years. In either the main NaNo event or Camp NaNoWriMo.

Sometimes I win, mostly I don’t finish, but each year I look forward to November 1st like it’s Christmas morning. I have ideas and notes, a specially made calendar for my word count, and a day off from work scheduled towards the end of the month just in case.

This year, I don’t have a day off scheduled, no special calendar, and the bare bones of an idea. It’s as close to “pantsing” that this planner can get and it’s scary. 

Maybe that’s a good thing.

I have a tendency to over plan, to go over the ideas in such detail before I can start writing that I lose interest in putting in the time to commit words to page only a handful of days in. My notes for this year could fit on a post-it. 

It has been incredibly busy at work. The kind of busy that ends each day with me knowing I got everything done except what’s on my to do list, and left emails languishing. It’s frustrating and stressful to be doing so much and yet still fall behind. At night, I still try to get in a walk, a bit of reading and language study. The reading is bouncing between one of the Witcher books and writing advice. By the time I go to bed, my brain and eyes are definitely ready for a few hours of rest.

So of course I will participate in NaNo!

Why not?

I need to get my creative writing skills dusted off, polished up, and ready to shine. Even if no one ever reads my NaNo story, I want to write something I am proud of, and I really want to cross the 50k word finish line and order a winner shirt.

I started this year with 30 day challenges, might as well end with one!

Anyone else participating?