For the month of November, all the participants who signed up should have their browsers redirect from anything other than nanowrimo.org.

Perhaps that’s drastic, plus I should be able to avoid Netflix on my own willpower but they just have so much stuff to watch! And who can miss Castle on Hulu?! But it isn’t just the Internet that’s the distraction–room needs to be picked up–sure!, laundry needs doing–how many loads can I do?, friends wanna hang out–when and where? But distractions always abound.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that yet again, in my attempt at this wild writing month, that my word count has bested me so far. If writing evenly this month, I should be at 16,670 words rather than 7560. That’s 9110 to go, plus tomorrow adds more and so does the next day. That’s the point of this month, though, to challenge and push the self-proclaimed writer who allows writing to get lost among life. But not this year. I’m putting my foot down now. It may be a Wooster weekend to see Steve but he’ll have to play Starcraft II or his ukulele (a new feat of his!) while I type up a storm. Michigan games are always a half-watched affair, usually nail-biters that really don’t need full attention lest they raise blood pressure through the roof, so those three Saturday hours are fair game for NaNo!

Why is writing such a struggle? This is typical for me. Caught up in the “what do I have to say,” debating if my plot and topics are compelling, and allowing my inner critic to dictate more than I should, means that writing has always been a chore no matter what my desire and passion for it has been. Hence, LIS rather than MFA.

At this point in November, I have in the past congratulated myself making it as far as I did and filed away my abandoned works, promising next year to do better. But those who know me know that I’m a fighter, doing what is necessary even when it’s unpleasant and difficult (like living apart from my husband so we can both get relevant career experience). This November, right now, I’m digging in, staying the course, and finishing NaNoWriMo.

What does that mean? Writing with no worries. Think something sounds stupid, that’s what editing is for! Not sure a scene will work, write it and find out! Wanna change a previous event or character? Leave that old writing and start typing anew! Already this afternoon I’ve written 1040 words!!! Time to play catch up in a grand fashion, and the weekend begins shortly! It is the month for literary abandon, after all.

How’s your word count doing?