NaNoWriMo: my favourite month of the year

November is over and for the third consecutive year that generally means that I am sleep deprived, my fingers and eyes are hurting, my brain is fried and for the first time in 30 days I don't know what to do with myself in a fee moment. These are the common symptoms a writer has after finishing NaNoWrimo and writing 50.000 (or more) words in one month.

And even with those withdrawal symptoms, NaNoWriMo is my favourite month of the year.

For the third year in a row, I am counting down halfway October to the start of this monthly adventure. You can feel the tension hanging in the air. Fellow nano participants are starting to buzz with anticipation. You get to decide whether you want to prepare your story before the month starts or if you're going to start on the 1st November without a plan. The Nano offices are turning their heat up and everyone is crossing off the days until that first day. Ready? Set. GO!

And that first day is glorious. You're filled with fresh ideas or are finally freed from the boundaries you felt before. You finally get to write like mad without worrying too much about where you're going and finally able to focus on where the characters are going.

You feel inspired and are determined to get those first 1.667 words down and proof to the entire world that you will be able to tackle this month down like a pro. You're typing like a mad man and reach that first word goal in no time.

But after a while you might falter a little bit and self doubt starts to creep up on you. The smallest distraction is enough to pull you away from behind your computer. You start to appreciate the little things in life, like the way a dust particle can float around in the sunlight.

And then you reach that point where you're completely stuck. Your story won't move an inch forward, you feel frustrated with your characters and time keeps moving on while your word count remains unmoved. You feel tempted to type 'cat' a thousand times just to reach that word goal of the day. You start to get desperate as you might even have to catch up with your word count and you wonder if it's possible in the slightest. You might start banging your head against the desk in frustration or hang upside down in annoyance, but at least it causes an improved blood flow to your brains.

But then after forcing yourself to keep going you are rewarded with that moment where the puzzle pieces start to fall into place and you can tell that the end is near. The light at the tunnel is getting brighter and you are more than ever determined to win this thing. The end of the month is coming closer and you can see that finish line. You crack your fingers and prepare for the last stretch, knowing the end is near.

And then it's there. The purple winner's bar. You have made it and you can finally go back to your normal sleeping pattern and start replying to all the friends you've neglected for a month. You can get back to your regular life, even if it is slightly less interesting than your characters' lives.
However, you have made it and you deserve one hell of a high five as a congratulation!

(doesn't matter if you're still locked up inside, 

not wanting to face the real life yet.)