Rethreading the NaNoWriMo Loom

          If any of you have checked my NaNo page, you’ll notice my project is “Eclectic Soup.” I’ll let you in or a secret. It’s Eclectic Soup, not because of the story I’m telling, but because I don’t know what I’m writing. This document has everything from stream of consciousness journaling to rough drafts for blogs to character journals and sketches to plot ideas to recipes and instructions for cooking them to . . . well, you get the picture. It’s an eclectic mix of many of my writing thoughts.

          I’m hoping that somewhere soon I’ll catch a story thread and become absorbed in weaving together scenes. So far all I’ve caught are snippets and remnants. An intriguing character study; an interesting plot twist; a fantastic way to reveal missing information. But all from different stories. I think. Knowing the way my mind works, I suspect they are connected in some way. I just can’t see it now. Hence . . . Eclectic Soup.

          I might end up with a rough draft of an interesting story by November 30. Even if I don’t, though, it will have been a good month. It is (or at least is shaping up to be) the month that I got back to writing at least 500-1000 words a day. It has been a looonnnngggg time since I have consistently written 500+ words a day . . . or even 5 days a week.

          I need that habit back! In keeping with the thread and weaving metaphor, I need to make cloth or put away the loom. I need to stop pretending I’m a writer and start to consistently act like one. Writers may have off days and may take breaks, even extended ones, but writers consistently write and consistently produce stories. I have done neither for over a year.

          Okay. That’s not quite true. From January through April I was very consistent. I wrote and posted blogs; I finished a rough draft of at least two non-fiction projects; and I started work on a fiction project. Then my month long road trip and the chaos that erupted after I returned (and is only now settling down) scrapped that progress. Those non-fiction projects were never finished; I’m barely getting this blog up on time; and my fiction idea is a faltering mish-mash of story threads with no connecting theme.

          But!

          This is exactly why I love NaNoWriMo! One month of extreme focus on writing. A reset, if you will. A chance to rethread the loom with new colors. With its hyper-focus on producing words, this month is a boost of enthusiasm, energy, encouragement and inspiration. It serves as a rebuke if that’s what I need. Or a gentle push or an impatient shove. Above all, it reminds me of just how much I love playing with words and crafting them into compelling scenes, intriguing characters and fascinating stories.

          NaNoWriMo: This word-weaver’s delight!

          What’s your NaNoWriMo life-story?