50,092 Words Later: NaNoWriMo Created a Writing Fiend

50,092 words. I entered in the last one. Saved the file. Selected all text from the word document and then copied them into the online validater and waited.

For the past 24 mornings, I have risen two hours ahead of my husband to try and work in 2,000 words. I have rushed home from work, hurried through my chores and ditched friend get togethers to try and eek out a few additional hundred words here and there.

For, when writing anything, very little of it happens at the computer. It happens in the shower, while watching TV or waiting for the slow coffee maker to finish brewing. Motive was developed in the checkout lane of the grocery store. The district attorney's opening statement was fine tuned on my walk to Toastmasters. A key piece of evidence was discussed in the car ride to a conference.

Then, poof! At 7:35am on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015, I reached the 50,000 word count goal for National Novel Writing Month. I was declared a winner. My rough, rough, oh so rough draft was done.

I could have my life back. No more writing in my head. No more obsessions with word counts. My agenda for the day would not start with firing up a laptop.

For 24 days, I dreamed of watching football games without my computer nearby. Of sleeping in.  And then it happened. I awoke on Nov. 25 with the odd sensation that I needed to write. Correction. I had to write. I had to get out of bed and type. . . . something.

Perhaps that is the true goal of NaNoWriMo: establishing a habit that keeps you writing. Luckily I have blogs to funnel my creative energy into and short stories to type out in the early morning hours. Life won't go back to normal as I hoped, but perhaps it is the normal that I needed.

Back to writing.