Oct
30

NaNoWriMo Wk#1: Summoning Confidence

NaNoWriMo 2009 In two days, National Novel Writing Month will kick off for the 10th time. Many of us will immediately launch into the writing-frenzy and use this momentum to get as far ahead with our word-counts as we can. Invariably, some will stall out at the very beginning and find it difficult dredge up the will to continue or catch up. It can happen to anyone.

It happens to me more frequently than I’d care to recall. It might be more of a problem for NaNoWriMo beginners than those who’ve done it a number of times already and are familiar with the pitfalls of taking on such a huge personal challenge.

For most, the greatest hindrance is a lack of confidence in their ability to bring such a complex web of ideas to life. For some, the prospect of meeting the thirty day deadline is simply too daunting.

I can say this much: It is not impossible and while it’s no stroll in the park, it’s not nearly as difficult as you fear it will be.

Here’s a not so grand revelation for you:

No writer truly lacks confidence while writing.

Uncertainty only dogs you in moments of stillness, when you think about the task ahead; the weight of it, the prospect of losing one’s self in it completely and the aftermath. You worry. Will the words come? Will they be the right words? Will anyone care for them? Remember them?

Inspiration happens when you catch the scent of an idea on the wind. There’s hardly room for angst when digging around for it in the fertile soil of the imagination. You become a hunter and chase after it from sun-up till sun-down, if you must.

You wrestle it–this mystical beast, to the ground. You cut into its flesh and words come flowing out. Long afterward, even after the morning star is done playing tug-o-war with the moon, there’s never room–not an ounce of consideration for self doubt. It’s only much later when the flood recedes and the eyes have cleared, do we find our insecurities waiting there.

The “lesson” that a challenge like NaNoWriMo endeavors to impress upon us in that we must nurture that fierce, creative instinct. Making a habit of diving into the twists and turns of our stories, feet first and with eyes closed, empowers us to drown out those damaging inner voices; the ones that tempt us to quit before we even get started.

It’s not a bad thing to hope, I think–that grasping firmly to the thrill of the experience might give those doubts fewer openings to sneak in and blind-side us.

With that, I’d like to wish everyone else doing NaNoWriMo “good hunting” and the fortitude to move past those moments of self-doubt. Write as much as you can. Take your stories as far as you can. Be proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished, not matter where it ends for you.

October 30, 2009 // Challenges, Fiction, Writers // View Comments // Tags: confidence, creativity, nanowrimo

Alexandra

Tonya, good insight and advice. We can only but try, and not feel too bad even if we don't all make it to the end, with 50,000 words in hand. My 3-month old newe iMac had screen failure, or maybe, graphic card failure, last night. And has a huge 3" wide vertical black scar running down one third of the screen. I'm devastated. :(

Tonya

I hope you've been able to get it fixed or repaired by now, Alex. I'd probably be in tears if that happened - at any time but especially right near the beginning of November. Keep making great progress - let all keep working hard for the finish. :)

Alex

Houston is still in the shop with no real words as to what is wrong with him. So I'm back to working and doing Nano, as in previous years, on my laptop, Alice. I should have trusted her. She's my proverbial workhorse and has yet to let me down.

So far, so good, and you? Are the words flowing, like the spice? Laughs!

Btw, I meant to tell you how much I love the new template for the website, this one is real clean, and easy to navigate. :)

Tonya

Dare I say it's been going rather well? Feels like a taboo - like I might be jinxing myself or something. hahaha. How's it going for you? I hope the words are still flowing your way.

Thanks! I'm glad you like the site's new look.
Every time I change it to something new I think "yes! this is it - the template I've always been looking for" -- and then a few months down the road, something else shiny appears and I just can't resist. :)

Alexandra

lol I know what you mean about jinxing, I always feel that way. And it's good to hear the words are flowing for you! I'm doing good for me, too, as I'm usually quite slow, or I shoot out of the gate fast and then? Stumble coming into the last bend. This time, however, I seem to be going at a steady even pace, which is kind of disconcerting in itself.

Oh, and I hear you on the template thingie too. I'm always seeing something and thinking to myself, Oh, now *that* would look great over on my web site. So far I've resisted. But I am thinking of revamping the HiveMind's look and feel. To make it a bit more like you have right now, with a few more illustrations. Anyway, that's for Dec or during the winter, right now? I've gotta write.

See you at the winners enclosure, even if I just might be stood on the other side. Laughs!

Unwoven

Thanks for the pointers and words of wisdom.

My main reason for tackling NaNoWriMo this year is so I can actually break those walls of self-doubt and finish off a story. I've only been able to do it once on my own, and that was my very first (and very cliche-ridden) story.

Good luck during NaNo! You can catch my updates here (which'll be tweeted): http://eternalice.wordpress.com/

Tonya

I'm glad this helps and keep it up! You're making good progress and I'm already enjoying what I've read of your story so far. :)

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Tonya R. Moore

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