Wading in the Blood Sea

[angela_n_hunt]

Shall we go and piddle our toes in the water?

* * *

As most of you know, I’ve once more dived into the glorious mayhem that is National Novel Writing Month. I’ve been doing it since 2004 and it is my devotional of choice when it comes to my writing. Out of all the years I’ve done, only twice have I not finished and the first was my first year and the second was that I was just pregnant with the Mouse and throwing up all the time.

Good times.

I thank NaNoWriMo for being the thing that took me from being one of the world’s slowest writers (we’re talking Thomas Harris slow) and turning me into someone who can write to a frikken’ deadline. I was so upset by not finishing my first year, that when 2005 rolled around, I buckled down and just pounded.

It was a revelation.

It’s not for everyone. But for those of us with competitive spirits and a desire for community, a desire to know we’re not alone in our solitary madnesses, it is the best thing that has ever happened to me or my writing. Some years are hard. Broken Rainbow I had to fight for every word, tooth and nail. Alice Assassin was fun, but I never did more than just what I had to write every day.

This year, I can’t seem to stop writing, the words are coming so fast. It’s like NaNoWriMo helped me find that door in the page that Stephen King talks about, helped me pick the lock, open it up and finally, finally, finally helped me fall through the page.

It’s a gift.

So, thank you, Chris Baty, and all the NaNoWriMo staff. Thank you for helping me unlock the page. Thank you for starting a grand and foolish event that makes the world a better, more beautiful, weirder and more glorious place.

Bless you. For all the words and all the words to come.

Originally published at Angela N. Hunt. You can comment here or there.