Trying to Fight the Rusty Feeling

I have been slowly working my way back into my writing. I have started a new novel that I’m super excited about and have been trying hard to post regularly on my blog, but sadly I’m still feeling very rusty after my hiatus from writing. In spite of that rusty feeling though I have been enjoying putting pen to paper again and it is helping bring me a great deal of gratification.

With that in mind I have decided it is time to really push myself with my writing to see if I can’t try to work through the rusty feeling once and for all. I’m also hoping to rediscover some of my lost confidence in my writing skills. To do this I found a challenge for next month. I have joined Camp Nanowrimo. Nanowrimo is a challenge that some of my writing friends have talked about where you take the month of November and write 50000 words. Well this year they did a summer challenge in June and are doing another in August. I can’t think of a better way to challenge myself then to just throw myself in feet first and see what comes out on the other side.



I will admit that the idea of 50000 words scares the crap out of me. I have never written anything that long. I have started projects that probably could have become that long but I have never actually gotten to the point of finishing any of them. The closest I have probably come is one of my “questionable” stories that I posted online back in my university days, when I had a lot more free time for writing. How do I go from this fear to actually producing something? Well I am a little bit of a perfectionist (yah I know shocking, right?) and I’m hoping that my need to be perfect and do the things I say I will is just what I need to keep me going in August to reach the 50000 word goal. I can be pretty determined when I want to and not to mention a wee bit stubborn. They may not be the best qualities to have but I am confident they are just the qualities I need to get me to 50000 words by the end of August. It will also help, I’m sure, that I have three days already planned for just writing out in Rosebud, Alberta.

Besides the word count the only other thing I’m worried about is the idea that I want to work with is actually the last story idea I ever shared with Will. It is a story that I have had in my mind for a very long time but one that I’m worried about writing because of its connections to Will. One of the main characters was one that I created to be like him. I’m counting on the fact that it will be cathartic to write the character to help. I also can’t help but think because the challenge is happening in August, which is also when I will be faced with the anniversary of his death, that it seems like good timing in a weird way. It is a story that I think deserves to be written and this is a good opportunity to do it. I mean really it’s not the characters fault that my life changed last August. hehehe

Anyway wish me luck and cheer me on. I’ll keep you all posted throughout next month.