Writing is Hard

Writing is hard.  For the past several years I have participated in NaNoWriMo. It has not gotten easier with time. In fact I think that it gets harder. It has gotten easier to talk myself out of it, or rationalize why I shouldn't write that day. This year was the first time that I was writing up until the last day and  trying to figure out where I wanted to go next.  I was so easy to get distracted. Laundry, dishes, cleaning...things that I normally put off on my to do list, suddenly were getting done, because I wasn't sure what I wanted to write.

I did get my novel done this year, and it was with a lot of thanks to my husband for his constant encouragement. My husband has that unique ability to remind me the reason that I was doing NaNoWriMo, and it was because I like to write. I like to tell stories. I am not good at it, but you don't have to be good at something to enjoy it. The only way to get better at anything is to practice and to keep at it and not to get discouraged.

That is so much easier to say then to actually do. How does one not get discouraged? I don't have a 100% answer on that, but I do know something that works for me. If it is something that I really want to do, I need to keep a positive mind about it, and to surround myself with genuine encouragement. My husband genuinely encouraged me on my Nano novel, because he knew it was important to me and wanted me to succeed. That little bit of genuine encouragement is a large reason as to why I got to the finish line, and it also let me know that people that truly care about you will make a point to encourage your dreams.

Not everyone has a dream of writing, and sometimes dreams change along the way. I am never going to make a living as an author. I don't want to. I do a decent job at my job and enjoy my day job (most days).  I enjoy writing and writing is hard. I also have an incredible respect for authors and artists (you should see my library), however I would like to think that I am smart enough to know when something fits better into my life as a hobby. Writing is a hobby for me, and I will probably continue to challenge myself every year with NaNoWriMo, because I feel that sometimes a person needs to push their personal boundaries, even in their hobbies to truly grow as an individual. I encourage everyone to challenge themselves and grow.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.
Ralph Waldo Emerson