Hey everyone!
With the beginning of December comes an end to NaNoWriMo. If you remember, I told you at the beginning of November I was taking on the NaNo challenge of writing from scratch, 50,000 words on a brand new story in thirty days. When I started the challenge, I was mainly doing it for fun for myself, to say that I completed this insane challenge and partly because I needed something to help me get in the groove of writing something every day, no matter what my word count ended up being.
When I started this challenge, I was kind of annoyed that I couldn’t use my novel that I had already started on, I mean, I was already halfway finished with that story and with the new 50,000 words I would have been finished with my first novel! But, the rules of nano, you have to start with a brand new story. Ugh. So, I picked one of the numerous ideas out of my head that was begging me to write, and I started.
I had no outline. I didn’t really have any characters in my mind other than the main character. I had a general plot line and a conflict, with a very vague idea of the way I wanted it to end. I pulled out my laptop, asked God to give me the words and a story and I started writing. And I have to tell you that at the end of the month, what developed from a vague idea and numerous plotting discussions with my hubby had completely awed me. I feel in love with this story. It is completely different from my first novel. Where my first novel, Just Breathe Abbie, is a fun, humorous chick lit, this is completely opposite. Finding Gwen is about the struggles that we all go through within our self. The struggle of searching to find out who we are, and what we would like to be, how the consequences of our choices can completely change our lives, the grace that comes when we finally stop running from God and run to Him, and in the midst of all of this, realizing just what it means to truly find ourselves in Christ.
When I started this challenge, I had no idea where God would take me with this story, what I would write, what was the point of the story, but now I’m coming away with much more than I thought. I gained:
- Discipline: Writing something, anything every day.
- Patience: Well, maybe my hubby and children are for putting up with me saying, “Just a minute, I need to finish this!” or “I’m working!”
- Confidence: To set a goal and follow through.
- Grace: I learned more about God’s grace and love and how quick we can judge someone.
I have really come to love this story. And as December has come and I took a much needed break and celebrated for achieving my goal, I’m ready to get back to this story and finish it. Then I’m moving back to my original one with a fresh perspective.
I want to leave you with a verse from our next chapter. Psalm 52:8 says, “But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.”
I feel like this verse is a perfect for my story and for my own life. We all need to come to a place where we trust in God’s unfailing love. No matter what we go through, we can put our trust in God. Human beings can fail you, your closest friend or your spouse, family; all can and will sometimes fail you. Even that person that you look up to, they can fail you, because we are not perfect, we make mistakes. We mess up. But God is perfect, He doesn’t make mistakes, He never changes, and He will never fail you or let you down. . Have you ever really stopped and thought about just how much God loves you?
If we can trust people who can fail us, who make mistakes, why do we struggle with putting all of our trust in the only one who cannot fail us?
So I challenge you today to ask yourself this question: Have I been trusting in God’s unfailing love?
Hugs,
Erin
What a sweet look back.
This was my third NaNo, my 2nd in a row, and the first time I think I approached it as a job.
You see, last year I knew I’d “won” once, but that was *years* ago, when I had a nursing infant (read: lots of sitting time) and wasn’t teaching my children. So last year was the big question.
This year I knew it was possible, and just had to do the work. And it was work! I showed up, no matter how I felt, and milked my drained-but-willing imagination and kept the story moving forward.
And now I’m motivated just to make this a regular part of the year: especially if (next year) I get through my 1st NaNo as planned and start submitting it to publishers. Being a few novels ahead of where I’m submitting seems to offer the necessary “breathing room” to return with fresh eyes.
Congrats on your win and your new perspective!
Thank you Amy! I was really excited, I have had a few problems with getting a routine down and sticking with that routine. I tend to let other things take my time and attention away from my writing. I have always wanted to be a writer. I have never had any doubt that I wanted to write, but my attitude towards it wasn’t where it should have been. I treated it as a hobby and not what I know in my heart that it should be, just like you mentioned, a job. I’ve always known in my heart that this is what I should have been doing all along with my life, but I always did other jobs, searching for a career outside of being a mom. Just within the past year or so, I have been dealing with this and deciding that I’m going for it, I’m doing what I should have done all along.
Congrats to you also! I am going to hop on over and check out your page, and I hope that we can continue talking and maybe motivating each other on this journey. I will be praying for you as you start submitting your novel! That is awesome! =D