NaNoWriWhat?

Originally posted at Flirty Author Bitches:

Yeah, we’re all talking about it: that November marathon of writing mayhem that crushes egos, stresses family relationships and brings up the stock value on Starbucks and M&Ms.
National November Writing Month…NaNoWriMo.
This will mark my fourth outing. I’ve won twice. Let me rephrase that: I’ve completed the word count twice. Because with NaNoWriMo, there are not losers. Just winners and those who slink away, tail between their legs in shame.
I am here to say to you…slink no more!
NaNo can be a lot of fun, if you don’t take it too seriously. I mean, aspiring authors don’t need to crash into any more walls. Published authors don’t need the additional pressure to perform. We all know what its like to look a deadline in the eye and the consequences of not meeting it. Because we signed that thing called “a contract.”
Yeah. That.
Like always, I started late on NaNo, but strong, quickly pulling out ahead of schedule. And par for the course, I got distracted, diverted or otherwise pulled away by something shiny. Usually I can get it back together, but last year, my mother was hospitalized and nearly died in November. I spent most of the month nursing her. And contrary to my expectations, I returned to my forgotten manuscript and finished early.
This year? Dealing with the fallout of an accidental foreclosure on a property my mother owns, and of course, a real, live deadline. It’s today. And I’m behind…and writing a blog for you! Something had to give and its my NaNo masterpiece. But never fear, by Tuesday I’ll be racing to catch up again.
My message is this: do not let NaNo or deadlines or calls for submissions take the joy out of writing. Years ago when I was having a miserable time at both home and work, a supervisor said my job should be a sanctuary from the troubles at home. Unfortunately, the job was worse than my home life, but I understood the sentiment.
At that time, my shelter from both the day job and the home job was my writing. And while its my major occupation now, I fight to remember that this is what brings me joy when I’m unhappy, solace when I’m down. When I’m bored, I think up something new and I write it! In my opinion, there are few greater things than to find happiness and satisfaction in your occupation. I won’t let the intensity of NaNo take that away. At the same time, I love getting that little badge and sharing my word count on Facebook!
So write long and prosper! If you’re doing NaNo, have fun!
Happy Tails!
Belinda