11/01/17
First Day of Nanowrimo! Oh, I am pumped.
My pantser instincts are gung ho. Fifteen hundred words under my belt in less
than two hours. Budgeting three hours a day on this project should work well.
My story’s ambitious. Women’s
fiction, complicated relationships, moving back and forth in the times of their
lives. Fifty thousand words should be a snap.
11/08/17
Second week of Nanowrimo begins. The
story is unfolding nicely. I have notes all over the place. Now to find that
one detail I wrote down…
Life keeps getting in the way. I
need a new phone. I have three blogs to get done this week. My husband would
appreciate a home-cooked dinner. I absolutely must clean the bathrooms.
I’m tired.
11/15/17
This story stinks. I’m stuck. What
should my main character do next? Any conversation that comes to mind sounds
boring. Not worth the time to type it.
I’ll try again tomorrow.
11/30/17 I won! 51,251 words toward my new novel!
Those of you who have tried National
Novel Writing Month, does any of this sound familiar? This is my seventh
Nanowrimo, and I follow the same pattern every time.
Week One: rarin’ to go.
Week Two: slowin’ down.
Week Three: dead in the water.
Week Four: the grand push forward.
I’ve succeeded at fifty thousand
words twice. Would the year I completed forty-four thousand count as an honorary runner-up?
Here’ s what I've discovered.
I must ask the Holy Spirit to lead.
I’ll follow, one short step behind. By checking with Him first before I
initiate anything, He can arrange my day in the best sequence for tasks to be accomplished.
That includes my ability to get words from my mind into a written form, an obvious necessity during the frantic month of November.
If I will only walk with the Holy Spirit as He sends me on
paths of discovery in my plot and getting to know my characters, I always have
plenty of words to type that are satisfactory.
Those other four years when I didn’t
finish? I knew what to write. I dictated where the story was going,
and I didn’t bother to ask for guidance when sitting down at the computer. I ran
ahead of the Spirit. And galloped off in the wrong direction.
In spite of knowing how much I need
His guidance, I still tend to drift down my own path. It takes purposeful
reminders to wait for direction. This week I’ll get back on track. I know my
story has promise. It’s worth the write, and it’s worth a prayer of seeking God’s
inspiration before placing fingertips on the keyboard.
Whether we participate in Nanowrimo
or not, everything we write can only improve as we choose to follow Him, one
step behind.
I don’t think I’m alone in my
tendency to run ahead. Do you have a story to share about your own writing journey
with the Lord, a confession of when you wandered off and dead-stopped in
quicksand? Or a celebration of a project where every step was in sync with
the Spirit? I’d enjoy reading about it!
Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids
ages ten to fourteen. When she's not involved with Nanowrimo, she concentrates on the middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own
experiences growing up with a deaf sister.
Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until
school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe
age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing
passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her
students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft. She still visits
the school and teaches creative writing workshops.
Where Linda can be found on the web: www.lindasammaritan.com
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