On not NaNo-ing

[eimarra]

People are gearing up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) once again — the annual challenge to write 50,000 words of fiction in the 30 days of November. (I did a Q&A about it a few years ago.) The local Municipal Liaison (the splendiferous Nicki!) has plot-ins going for people to get their ducks (or albino weasels) in order, e-mails are going out, posts are up on the Forward Motion for Writers forum.

Clearly, it’s October.

And this year, I’m not participating. It’s not a recent decision; I told Nicki months ago. I’ve been feeling burned out at participation, which I tried to short-circuit last year by doing a goofy, make-it-up-as-I-go-along fanfic of my fellow WriMos. I only wrote two episodes and started a third. I need the break.

I’m not sure why. Writing under 2k a day isn’t a major challenge. Coming up with new ideas and even outlining them ahead of time isn’t a problem. The local WriMos are wonderful people, and November is often my most social month of the year because of it.

And yet.

Maybe it’s because it’s not a challenge now? I’ve done it, I know I can do it, and it doesn’t have much new to offer me? The need to meet one more deadline is one stress too many? I don’t know.

I don’t even know how long this break is going to be. It might be just this year. It might be two years. It might be permanent. I just don’t know.

What I do know is that I will be cheering 100% for anyone who’s doing it. I’ll be going to at least one write-in. And I will always be happy about having done NaNo and learned where and how I can push my limits.

Are you participating this year? If not, what do you have on tap for November?

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.