Reflecting on the A to Z

Image courtesy of Kevin Tuck, rgbstock.com

I signed up, I wrote, and I stayed up too late.

I read, I commented, and I followed.

Most importantly, I had a great time!

I signed up for this challenge on a whim. Having never participated in any kind of blogging event before, I really had no idea what to expect. I thought I would have fun, and I looked forward to writing to a theme each day. I hoped I would make new friends and gain a few followers. One thing I didn't anticipate, however, was just how much participating in the challenge would change how I feel about writing.

Although I've been blogging every day for well over a year now, I was beginning to lose my passion. Something wasn't right, and for several months, I fell into a writing slump. I wasn't having fun with it anymore, and I found that I was giving my other projects--a young adult novel, a short story collection, my family history memoir, and my poetry--little to no attention. Writing didn't have the spark it once had.

This challenge changed that, and it's because of the wonderful, creative people I met, people from all fields and with all interests, all sharing one thing--a passion for what they do. And seeing how passionate people are about their interests renewed my interest in and passion for writing. I'm back to working on those projects I had abandoned for so long, and I owe it to the great people I met during the A to Z journey--people like Taylor, Graciewilde, Wendy, Stephanie, Betty, Nikki, Patti, and Fran, just to name only a few.

Sure there were some bumps along the way, like tricky letters, last-minute posts, and too few hours in the day. Also, I do wish I could have spent more time reading each blog. By ignoring my need for sleep, I managed to visit all of them, and although I commented on many of them (and followed others), time and offline obligations didn't afford me the opportunity to really give them all the attention I would have liked.

However, I'm grateful for the bloggers I did meet, and I want to thank all of you who have been reading and commenting. I look forward to hearing from you each day!

And there's no doubt about it: I will be back next year!

Now if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to reintroduce myself to my family. ;)

Countdown!

I've always kind of hated that NaNoWriMo starts on November 1. I like to use the day before to make changes to my outline and try to fill in plot holes, but Halloween makes that a little difficult--especially since I have two children who are eager to go trick or treating. But I guess that's part of the challenge of NaNo: trying to fit 50,000 words around an already busy schedule to prove that writing is possible, and I (and everyone else who wants to) can find the time for it if it truly is a passion. That, I think, is the real lesson NaNo teaches.

So for all of you taking on the challenge: Good luck! I know that despite my tiredness and the fact that I need to get up at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, I, for one, will be sitting at my computer at midnight, typing away.

Enjoy!

I'm back!

I decided this morning that I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo after all. :)

To all of you who offered encouragement in response to yesterday's post: thank you. I had been feeling pretty dejected about NaNo after I was told by someone close to me that my passion for writing is "stupid," but I felt better--and determined--after I read your encouraging responses. I wrote a response of my own this morning, where I tried to explain the reason that this person's lack of support hurt so much. (You can find my response here.)

What I learned from this experience is that although writing is a solitary activity, it's still necessary for me to feel supported by others and to have a sense that what I'm doing is important. Yes, I can write for me (and I do), but to know that someone is out there encouraging me and cheering me on reminds me that my passion is as important as anyone else's and following my dream is worthwhile.

I don't know how NaNo will go for me this year. I'm hoping that I'll make or exceed the word goal, as I did the two other years I participated. I think that this year my success will likely depend on my ability to find time to write around the distractions of my two very young children, which might prove difficult without family support. No matter what, though, I know that I have friends I can count on when the going gets tough. Thank you!