Just a couple of things before I get to the meat of the matter…first, I’m baaaaaaack! And second, did you miss me because I missed writing these little blogs of mine (and ours)! Now, on to the REAL stuff…

I did it! I “completed” my first novel…sort of. Actually, it’s more a rough draft of a rough draft but…I achieved my goal of writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days! My victory is sweet.

Really, it wasn’t my goal. It’s the goal of National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as Nanowrimo which is pronounced just as it looks…nano-wry-mo. (As another author on another blog said it sounds like some crazy greeting Mork from Ork would have used so many years ago.) Nanowrimo comes around every November since 1999. It’s goal is simple, to get writers to write. Take the month of November, throw in a novel writing contest on top of Thanksgiving and the beginning of a season of craziness and VOILA you have Nanowrimo.

As many of you know, my friend and blogging partner, Julie Farley, threw down the proverbial gauntlet in October for us to accept Nanowrimo’s challenge and run with it. So we did. I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous than I was when I accepted this challenge. I wasn’t this nervous when I paraded my bikinied self around a stage in the middle of a bar waaaay back in the day as I competed in a calendar girl competition. I wasn’t this freaked out in the days leading up to the day Stan and I got married. I wasn’t this nervous when I brought home a howling, screaming infant and another and another. For some reason this challenge almost brought me to my knees. Maybe it’s because it’s something I really wanted to do and really didn’t want to fail at doing.

The other things I mentioned seemed natural and easy…well, maybe not the swimsuit thing, that was a little push out of my comfort zone. Getting married seemed natural and wonderful and perfect. Having babies and a family is something I knew I wanted with Stan so that was a naturally easy decision, although throwing in the third did throw me for a loop for a while. I knew two of these things were things where I would succeed and if I didn’t (ahem, the swimsuit thing again) it would be ok.

I really want to be a writer, so I didn’t want to take something so challenging and fail at it. But, if I hadn’t taken the challenge I would have failed even more ~ so THANKS Julie for pushing me farther out of my comfort zone than I have ever been pushed before. This past month has been an experience like none I have ever known and one where I learned more than I ever thought I could. Here is some of what I learned…

1. Accepting challenges is daunting but achieving the goal is sweet! Victory is even sweeter when shared ~ both Julie and I achieved our goal!!

2. I learned to push myself a little harder than I have before.

3. Making up stories is FUN.

4. Writing a book is nothing like I thought it would be. My fingers make up stuff before it even pops in my head and then I am astounded at how the story turned! CRAZY!

5. I am more excited now than I was before. I can’t wait to see where my story takes me next.

6. I am looking forward to writing more and more and more.

7. I know, now, I can achieve just about anything I set my mind to do! I might not be a famous author but I am, and will continue, having a blast writing.

8. But, who knows, maybe someday I will be a famous author…I can just see my name on the cover of a book or two or three…

9. It’s awesome to have such good company in this great big world of writing. I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) have done it without my friend and partner in writing, Julie.

10. It’s been awesome to get the hugs, high fives and kisses from Stan and the kids as I achieved each milestone stone along the way. 10,000, then 15,000, then 20,000 ~ well, you get the idea…

11. I couldn’t be happier about the example I just set for my kids. I was given a pretty big goal and I achieved it. I don’t think they think of me as just a mom, I think, now, they might think of me as a writer too!

I had a blast this past month and am looking forward to January 2nd which is my next challenge date. Julie, God love her, issued yet another challenge ~ to have our manuscripts ready for the other to read, critique and make better so we can eventually (hopefully) have something to show to a literary agent and maybe even get published. Wouldn’t that be something?

Just shortly after Julie and I started working together on Perfect Mamas Confess, I got a fortune cookie that said “Dream lofty dreams and as you dream so you shall become.” Well, I’m dreaming my lofty dreams, for the love of my children…