Punishment, Pain, and Happiness: Pre-NaNoWriMo 2012 Thoughts

12 hours, 9 minutes, 21 seconds...20 seconds...19 seconds.

You get the point.

NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, begins in just over 12 hours. Once the clock strikes midnight, writers across the globe will begin a month of hectic scrambling, panicing, hyperventilating, binge eating, and, above all, writing. Welcome to the challenge of writing 50,000 words in one month.

The thought is slightly horrifying, but also slightly invigorating. 1,667 words a day. It's doable. It can be done. And I know because I've done it before.

Such a daunting task, however, does not come without its fair share of nerves. Admittedly, when I began NaNoWriMo in 2010, I was a bit oblivious to how intense the task would actually be. I had no fears, doubts, or worries - only excitement. I won, I beat the word count, but I can't help but think that maybe I did it on sheer nerve.

Pre-NaNo2012, my fears have transformed into a new beast. This monster pokes at my insecurities, whispering words of insanity. The novel I will be undertaking is actually the same that I wrote in 2010. I'm rewriting this story: fixing the plotholes, further establishing the fantastical world, and breathing a new life into my characters. This time around, the story is darker, complete with more powerful, realistic emotions and more intense situations. I'm dealing with things I skirted the last time around; and I'm hoping I will be able to keep my wits and emotional stability as I attempt to slay this writing dragon.

In the Book Thief, Marcus Zusak says, through the main character Liesel, imparts profound writing wisdom that I hope will guide me through this November:

"Don't punish yourself," she heard her say again, but there would be punishment and pain, and there would be happiness, too. That was writing.

With this in mind, I hope to feel, experience, and understand all of these emotions, the dark and the light, and simply tell a good story.

Feel free to friend/follow me on NaNoWriMo at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/mattlinenbroker