To my non-writer friends this question probably sounds a little weird. But to my writer friends, this comes about every fall. You begin to feel the tingle of anticipation as the calendar flicks another day aside until you are glaring at the last day, Halloween, October 31^st. Then it’s a lump of stress that settles in your stomach and with trepidation, you flip the calendar over…

NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month which happens to be November. This comes about every year (obviously). The goal is to write a first draft of a novel in 30 days. Anchoring the writing time into your schedule is a must. So is your pledge to write so many words a day. The goal is to have a novel of 50,000 words by the end of November. Every year I am totally unprepared and therefore uncommitted to the task of writing a sh***y first draft.

Annually, I use the excuse that I’m in the revising and editing phase of my current novel to get out of this when asked by my fellow writers if I plan to participate this year. It has merit since when you decide to pitch to an agent – a completed manuscript is the only kind they are interested in – unless it’s non-fiction.

This year I am in the revision phase again – but the call of a novel I started to pen last month is nagging at me to be finished. Part of me says, “Stand in line – there are several others in my computer that are your situation!” The other part of me says, maybe I should use the time to complete some other work I wanted to do with other novels that I pitched and have gone nowhere (so far). There is also the story with the elevator couple to consider – I left them running and I’m sure they are out of breath by now.

What to do?

Do I keep those notes for the other novels set aside, or do I plow through the goal of 50,000 words to see the September story to the end? Do I let my responsibilities to other stories drop like a mighty boulder from on high? Do I fly with my fellow writers, forsaking my routine? Or do I steadfastly write for my sake (not writing’s sake) and do it right – emerging with a less than sh***y draft?

The answer is finish revising the current book – the mystery. Since I am not a plotter, my brain has to work out the plot and that takes time – when my mind is drifting off to sleep and free of all other distractions it’s at its best. But to have a novel plotted this way in 30 days won’t work for me.

My mind is telling me this: For godsake! End the elevator couple‘s dilemma already, will you? I will stay grounded with the work I have. Finish something!

Sorry September novel, I’m afraid you have to stand in line…