My Forward-Only Rule Saved the Day
[NoNaWriMo #3/6] I’m 10 days into the 30-day NaNoWriMo writing challenge and if it wasn’t for my “forward only” rule I probably wouldn’t be here.
Boldness is having the courage to step into the unknown and be a beginner again.
It’s tricky to do as an adult. The protective mechanism in our minds wants to keep us on safe ground, so it lets the tyranny of familiarity dictate the direction of our lives.
This month, I’m crossing new terrain and participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in the USA, which is a writing challenge created for young writers.
I’m 52. Does that qualify me as a young writer? Yes, of course! From the perspective of an Octogenarian, I’m young, and also, I am new to writing, green as a fern frond unfurling to absorb the sun.
Ok, it’s been a big week for words, and that’s the only simile I’ve got left in the tank, so let’s run with it.
My biggest problem in the challenge so far is that my mind is struggling to let me be bad at writing, and I’ve had to consciously make my mind fuddle along and truly embrace being a beginner again. At times, it’s been mentally exhausting to be a young writer; it would be much easier to let myself be an old one.
Watch the video above, and I’ll share more of what I’ve learned from the journey so far, and you’ll get to meet a few of my favourite four-legged friends.
Here’s the links I mention in the video.
The previous stories about NaNoWriMo are #1 Opening The Void and #2 My Game Plan.
My favourite reflection scaffold is discussed in How To Stop Analysis Paralysis and here are the four questions so you don’t have to go hunting unless you want the adventure.
- What was my intended destination?
- How close did I get?
- What’s my proudest point of progress?
- What new behaviour/learning will I take forward with me?
