For those about to write...

That’s me in the picture above. That’s me about to write this blog post. A blog post about writing in general and writing for NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo.

It’s always been a desire of mine to be a writer. Not unlike many folks I guess, writing a novel is at the top of my dreams list. Writing blog posts has fulfilled part of scratching the writing itch. But it’s not enough honestly, nor do I get to it often enough to make a dent in the backlog of thoughts and ideas I’d love to flesh out and share. It seems I just don’t keep up a great blogging pace.

I’ll be using NaBloPoMo to work on correcting the blogging side of things. NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month, and the goal is simple, one blog post per day for each day in the month. Sounds simple doesn’t it? But if you’re not already a daily blogger, suddenly the blog can go from fun outlet to work.

There are no shortage of ideas, but when forced to write daily, writer’s block seems to occur a lot more often. The worst enemy is your and my drive to get it right when we right. We worry over the little stuff sometimes more than the big.

Helping remedy writers block is one of the benefits of working on NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. One goal there as well. Write 50,000 words between 12 AM November 1st and 12 midnight November 30th. There’s no grading for spelling. There’s no grading for plot. There’s even no grading for grammar. The site has it right, just write.

Am I going to be able to keep two writing projects going this month? Will I succeed at either? That’s the question. But to make my life more challenging, I’ve decided to start a second year of the 365 project on Flickr. Seen enough of me? Not yet!

Writing for me has always been scary. The cure for dealing with fears though is facing them. I’m going to face them this month and do what I can. I’m going to be honest with myself though and realize that my success with the stated goals is ultimately up to me.

Writing is always ultimately about the author. Some writing transcends the author, but it must come from inside before it’s apparent outside. I’m praying that God fills me full enough to spill a little out into the world as writing, at least for November.

To help myself write, I’m going to keep the music on in the background. I’m going to write in a room by myself. I’m going to write and be comfortable. I’m going to keep caffeinated.

Don’t expect miracles, grand plots, or the world’s best blog posts. Expect as the month wears on to get down to the real me by the end. Hopefully that won’t scare you off. Hopefully as time goes on we’ll become friends, buddies and companions. Perhaps we’ll connect on some new level, or sadly, go our separate ways.

In any case, I’m writing. Hopefully I’ll only look up long enough to make sure I don’t run off my friends and family, and to relax my mind a bit.

Wish me luck, cheer me on, but if not, then get out of my way.