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Wannabe Writer

The life as a wannabe writer. That was my newest idea for novel.  It is really just an autobiography of my attempts to write.

I love trying to do NaNoWriMo and CampNaNo but it is not working out for me this April. My word count is low, really low. My word count is bad for many reasons but by trying to do the challenge I realize what I need to work on as a writer.

I am too far behind on word count for any kind of novel to be written in 30 days. That is okay with me because I am writing a little and a little is more than not at all. I think just trying to do the challenge each time they open the virtual gates online it helps me learn where I am, and who I am as a writer.

I will be the first to say I am a novice. To take on a challenge of 50,000 words is not an easy task for me. I am not sure why I set my goal 50,000 for April when you can choose your writing goal. I know I can write 50,000 words in a month because I have done it, once.  

For me I have to accept my reality of what I have choose to be at this point in my life. I have very little time for writing. I am a mother to three kids. Two are in pubic school and one I homeschool. This is my first priority. It is for a season and will not last forever but takes up a lot of my time. I am only writing today because my mom and my homeschooler had dentist appointments on the same day, at the same time, at the same office. I like to write when I am alone. This is hard to do when you have three kids and one is home almost all the time.

I wanted to blog so I can remember in the off season of NaNoWriMo what it feels like in the middle of a challenge without taking the time in November to write out my short comings. I have decided to take the time now while I am doing a mediocre job of writing so my November will be more productive. The things I need to work on for Novembers writing challenge before October when it is too late.

I have to brainstorm everyday. Not just the month before a writing challenge. Some say to write everyday. I will add to my list brainstorm and write everyday. Even if it is for five minutes. I need a physical piece of paper and a pen in my hand and just write down my thoughts.

I have found that living takes up a lot of your time, we have a lot to do in a day. I choose living over the alternative of course but I need to schedule a time to write. I need to schedule as much as I can.  Not just writing time but all my must do activities. I think this will help with the pressure I put on myself when I am trying to write. For example, I go to the kitchen and see dirty dishes and my writing time dwindles to nada.

I am learning to expect the unexpected. Two weeks ago a lawyer called and asks me to testify in a hearing. Although it is not something I want to do, it is something I know I need to do and the choice of month was not mine. My first attempt at NaNoWriMo I got sick in week one and it effected my writing time in a negative way. Both these examples are unexpected but happened.

I have to decide in advance what can wait. I have got to go into November with a plan. Like organizing an army going to war kind of planning. The benefit for me in November is that my homeschooled child is going back to public school. This will give me a lot of alone time and less time teaching and planning for lessons. I also know that this time will quickly fill up with other things if I am not careful.

I want to say that say that this attempt at CampNaNoWriMo is a wash and that I am failing in my writing attempt.  Instead I am trying to look at it as a learning experience and not one of failing but how to make my November more productive and less frustrating for me.

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