NaNoNag #3

My college kid is working on a story this semester for her writing class. I haven't seen it yet and I get the feeling I'm not going to until after she's turned it in. We've talked about the plot, and at the time I made some suggestions, but she probably ignored them and did exactly she wanted. Creatively speaking she is very determined, focused, and not at all interested in my approval or input. Since she was a baby she's always wanted to do things on her own, in her own way. She might be a female copy of her dad on the outside, but that ornery creative independence definitely comes from my DNA.

She's also struggling with the amount of work involved, but she's not a writer. Don't get me wrong, the kid can write, and she could be a writer if she chose to be, but she has no passion for it. She pours all of hers into her art, which she will do happily for hours and hours without ever noticing how much effort she puts into it. Here's one of the little chibi she did last year (and she's even better now):



I don't think I'm being an overly-proud mom by saying she's got talent; the work says it all. But art wasn't always like this for her. When she first got serious about her drawing she had to work at it. She struggled, too; I think she erased as much as she drew. That is part of the creative process.

For most people National Novel Writing Month is a huge thing that they only do once a year because it's too much and takes up all their time and by this point they're exhausted, etc. You may feel that way now, and it's okay. It's like that for all of us when we first start. But when writing becomes your passion none of that matters. Your life is going to be National Novel Writing Month.

Should it be? That's a question you have to answer, and one way to find out is to write your November novel, and keep writing after NaNoWriMo ends.