Faceplant

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Today is the final day of Nanowrimo and unless I can come up with 38000 words by midnight, I think it's safe to say I'm not going to be a "winner" this year.

Entire outlines have been scrapped. New ideas have blossomed only to fizzle under the onslaught of kids, holiday responsibilities and life in general. And I've discovered the logistics of trying to write a novel while meeting the needs of 4 kids, ages 6 and under, is overwhelming. Let's just say tears have been shed.

That being said. I'm still a huge Nano advocate. While it's November timing isn't ideal for a mom of 4 (this is when the school year really ramps up in parental involvement -- especially for room moms), the fact that it's forced me to place my writing higher up my priority ladder is a really good thing. Sure I'm not incredibly thrilled with my results, but at least I've written something instead of talking about writing something.

And isn't that the biggest hurdle? There will always be other responsibilities. Being pulled in several directions at once seems to be the norm for pretty much all of us. But Nanowrimo has taught me that a serious writing career is going to require some difficult choices. Acknowledging that fact is a big hurdle for me. 

For years, I've been waiting to "have time" to write. As if massive blocks of free minutes were going to magically appear once I:

• finished college
• got the "right" job
• had kids
• became a stay at home mom

The real truth is, it never gets easy. Working writing into a real life with real life responsibilities is hard no matter what age or stage you're in. But if you love it. If the voices in your head won't stop talking to each other and making you giggle to yourself in public, then you have to make the time for something you love. 

It's an exciting journey. But watch out for those first steps. They're kind of tricky.