​Challenging Yourself: NaNoWriMo

Challenging yourself may seem like an odd suggestion for a blog about self care but
it may be just what you need. New challenges can shake things up: help us step outside our comfort zone, encourage us to try something new.
 
Learning a new skill or language or taking on a new project can serve as a much needed distraction to everyday stressors. Refocusing on something new does wonders for mood, perspective and motivation. Looking for a new challenge?
 
With November just around the corner, so begins NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It’s that time of year when experienced writers and wanna-be’s wipe their busy calendars clean in an attempt to crank out 50,000 words during the month of November. Gulp. That’s about 1,667 words per day. No easy feat.
 
Everyone has a story to tell. Unfortunately most people find the task too daunting. What NaNoWriMo does is eliminate the pressure of writing beautiful prose and focuses instead on just putting pen to paper and meeting the word count challenge.
 
What began as a somewhat crazy idea back in 1999, has taken on a life of its own. Today thousands of people sign up. The whole idea is quantity, not quality. (Edits and rewrites are done some other time.) Just get your thoughts on paper, strive to reach your word count goal, and watch the magic unfold. (For more info visit www.nanowrimo.org)
 
Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a memoir? Or have an idea for a book? NaNoWriMo is an excellent way to get the creative juices flowing. By the month’s end you may discover a lot about yourself. You may come to realize that writing is a long forgotten passion. You might believe you are the next Stephen King. Or you may decide once and for all, it’s not for you.  One thing is for certain, if you can attain the 50,000 word count, you can take pleasure in knowing you achieved your goal. You are unstoppable!
 
In the words of Ray Bradbury, “Your intuition knows what it wants to write, so get out of the way.”