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| Aaron Burden's Photo from Unsplash. Edited by Nina |
An old friend out of the blue sent me message congratulating me for my novel. Asked me where to buy it. I was taken aback because being a mom I have forgotten about my dream a long time ago. I was able to reply with an honest answer. I said I had it published online on Wattpad but I took it down. I would need to be in the Wattpad 100 to have a chance to find a publisher. I had money saved up for self-publishing but it ended up being spent when I became a mom. I had my dream side tracked. I was still thankful for an advanced congratulations. It sparked my dream back to life. I did not know someone was waiting for my novel to be fulfilled or that someone believed in me to do so when I have given up on it.
So there it was, I suddenly
remembered about NaNoWriMo last 2022 that the other fellow writers are talking
about on a Facebook writing group. The one where I was kind of sad that I was
not able to join because mom duties is a challenge for me. Last year, I thought
to myself why not join the NaNoWriMo 2023 this time and give it a shot? From
there, my first NaNoWriMo journey begins.
Can I just say I love November? If
ever you are curious I just might tell you. Either ways, I will tell you anyway.
November is my favorite month because it is the best time to write a
masterpiece. It is the month for aspiring novelists around the world to pursue
their journey writing their own novel. The thought that we have someone who can
relate and support us in our writing endeavor is exciting. It was 4 years ago
that I learned about NaNoWriMo and here is what I got:
The National Novel
Writer’s Month or NaNoWriMo is an online community that supports the creativity
that transcends people into novelists. It began in 1999 where diverse people
can join the online community of aspiring novelists to challenge themselves to
write together at the start of November to finish their novel with 50,000 for
this whole month. The online community offered people to either write alongside
other aspirants or work on their novel on their own where they can customize
their writing goals. They can also track the number of words they wrote through
their account in the NaNoWriMo.
I will forever cherish the very
first time I joined NaNoWriMo in 2023. I challenged myself to complete the
novel that I have been working on. I choose to have an individual NaNoWriMo and
savor every single time that I am able to write my novel. It feels good to have
a tracker of the number of words I wrote in a day, what time I wrote the most,
how many time I spent, where I wrote and how I wrote. I was going through my
silent battles but the NaNoWriMo kept me hopeful that one day in God’s time I
will finish my novel. Writing is my bliss and solace.
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| Graphic Design by Nina |
To keep a memory of my first NaNoWriMo, I kept a post of the days I wrote on my Facebook and TikTok. The creative process of making a basic graphic design was enjoyable. On my first day of NaNoWriMo, I was able to write 139 words. I only wrote for almost approximately 40 minutes when my little ones were asleep at night. I am so thankful to God of the little steps forward that I was able to make. It has been the longest time I wrote again. I savored the fewest minutes. I know writing may not be fun for most but this is my own joy and peace. At times I wish I had someone to share it with or even talk about my writing projects with but I have none. I wish I had writer friends who can relate to the process without sounding like a dork or shamed for things I like. Well turns out I love being my dorky self.
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| Image taken from Facebook. Graphic Design by Nina. |
Oh well, I guess that is what personal blogs are for. To write even no one reads them because in the real world no one would be interested that much except myself. Just kidding. I realized not all joys and peace are meant to be cherished with everyone. I am just happy to find my own nonetheless.
Oh
going back to talking about NaNoWriMo days, I thank God for the 109 words that
I was able to write on my day 2. Just the same I only wrote about less than a
blissful 40 minutes during bedtime of my littles. I was able to prepare an
outline for every chapter, create additional chapters, back story and characters
thanks to Demi, a published Wattpad author. I watched her YouTube video on how
to lengthen my novel into 50,000 words. Her tutorial helped a lot and I am so
thankful for her. I happened to stumble upon her video when I searched on how
to increase word count for a novel. God sure sends help when I need it most.
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| Graphic Design by Nina |
By NaNoWriMo day 3, I came up
with 102 words in the littlest of 40 minutes at night. I discovered that I am
able to write at night when it is quiet and peaceful. I needed to remind myself
to stop editing as I write and let the words flow first. Thankfully, my inner
critic listened and stayed still. I put on Writer mindset on when writing and
once I finished, let the Editor mindset take over later on. I felt like
perfectionism gets in the way of enjoying things so I learned to let go when I
write. Then I go back to it right after writing. There is a time to enjoy the
creative process and a time to make sure it is perfect enough for a chance to
be published.
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| Image taken from Facebook. Graphic Design by Nina. |
I find it unbelievable that on
Day 4 I wrote 132 words. The neurons on my mind seemed to catch up on my
writing. I had a longer time to write during bedtime. I had energy to write for
an hour and I thank God so much. I thought about my loved ones who used to be
brilliant in writing and wondered if I could ask them to critic my work in
progress…but I felt awkward and shy for I don’t know what reason…so maybe not. I
know where my passion for writing came from I guess it seems to run in the
blood but I was the only one still trying to pursue it. Some say writing is
just a hobby but for me writing is also a profession. I was able to earn as a
professional research writer as my first job. Think about it, if writing is
just a hobby that we can live without, maybe we could ponder. Without writing
there would be no lyrics to music, no advertisements, no movies to watch and no
books to enjoy or learn from. I am
hoping God can help me find someone to check my work once I finish my
manuscript.
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| Image taken from Facebook. Graphic Design by Nina. |
By NaNoWriMo Day 5 my word count reached 107. I felt the exhaustion of making time to write after mom duties. I wrote only a few minutes at night and rested until I get well. Still as long as I am able to write I am happy. It is not how much words but the act itself of typing the words and thinking how the story happens is such a Dopamine rush. I randomly had thoughts if this novel is better written in Filipino. I also wondered about the word count in a Poetry book.
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| Image from Facebook. Graphic Design by Nina. |
On my 6th NaNoWriMo, my word count suddenly picked up. I wrote 211 words. I felt energized after resting the other night. I wrote longer than around 40 minutes. Always so grateful to God for the time, energy and idea. I may not see where this is going but I am hopeful that only if God wills me, I will be able to finish this novel that I have been working on. Originally, I had this plot because of pain and I needed to turn it into an art. I wanted to share my perspective. I realized I was writing with a wrong state of mind and heart. I used to desire to immortalize myself in a book. But years passed, God changed my heart. I no longer desire fame, immortality and mere catharsis. I am writing so I can share more for my family and give back to my loved ones. Above all, I desire to use the gift that God gave me. Writing is blissful when it is done to live well meaningfully.
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| Image taken from Facebook. Graphic Design by Nina. |
I am elated that I was on a writing streak on the 7th Day of NaNoWriMo. I wrote 233 words. It is so surreal. My neurons are waking up and gaining momentum. All thanks to God and friends who inspire me to keep going. I just might include them in the dedication part of my novel or one of the characters in my future writing projects.
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| Image taken from Unsplash. Graphic Design by Nina. |
By day 8 of NaNoWriMo, I had 117 words added in my novel. I worked on my Female protagonist at this time. It was exhilarating to add more details in the backstory for her. I understand there will be good and not so good writing days. There will be days where words flow and days that words are stuck. As long as I kept writing that is all that matters to me. It keeps me a step closer to my dreams. So I am always thankful to God for every writing moment I had.
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| Image taken from Facebook. Graphic Design by Nina. |
On NaNoWriMo Day 9 I wrote 168 words. If I remember precisely, I worked on the additional character and backstory for him. I had a dilemma how I would go about this character. The Word of God in the Bible guided me in making this character. I could breathe a sigh of relief because this character is approved by God’s Word.
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| Image taken from Facebook. Graphic Design by Nina. |
If
you reached this far reading this, thank you. It means a lot to me. How about
you? What dreams are you enjoying and pursuing lately? Know that I will always
be happy for you as you reach for it. Feel free to share in the comments. If
you had fun reading my blog, you can always like, follow and share.
Copyright
©TheBlissfulInkblot at 2023 by Nina, All Rights Reserved on this article and
blog except cited photographs and videos. I give all credit to the photographers
and video owners.
