Last year I swore I'd never do Nano again. For one thing, it's in November and I hate the holidays. I couldn't imagine why people decided to undertake something new during a season which is overburdened with personal baggage, commercial ridiculousness, family expectations, and religious dogmatism. It seemed to me the best thing to do during the holidays was to stay inside.
Instead, writers from Houston and the surrounding areas (and I suppose ... all over the world) pack up their laptops and go to restaurants and coffee shops to write while in the company of other writers. I've never perfected this skill. I always feel watched. It's not so much that I think I am so interesting that others wouldn't be able to take their eyes off of me. It's more that ... once released into the wild ... watching others is what I do. If I'm doing it, then why wouldn't others be doing it to me? Other writers? If they're anything like me, they shouldn't be trusted in a group of people.
**sidenote**
Taking a book alone to a Starbucks or just about any other place is a different situation. The book acts as a sort of forcefield. Most of the time.
**end sidenote**
Also, there's the ten bucks or so I spend at each write-in because as much as I think I might be that person who can sit in a restaurant for several hours without spending a dime, I am not that person. I will spend my last dime so as to avoid being impolite or exposing myself to the ridicule of only having a dime.
Finally, I remain unconvinced that writing gets done in the company of other writers. I've seen a very few do this. I can't say they do it successfully. But there are those extroverted people who at least put up a good show of making conversation while concentrating on their work.
But despite my vow to avoid Nano, at the end of October I found myself not writing anything. So, I thought, "Why not?" For a few days I toyed with the idea of write-ins. Then I reminded myself, I don't actually get any writing done at them.
It's only day three but during the last few months I've gotten in the habit of writing every day. So, we'll see how this goes.
And... I'm curious. Anyone else doing Nano and what do you think of it?
It is a little different in the United States because we have Thanksgiving. You know ... celebrating that mistake we made centuries ago. So, it actually is our holiday season. There's been Christmas stuff up since before Halloween.
Instead, writers from Houston and the surrounding areas (and I suppose ... all over the world) pack up their laptops and go to restaurants and coffee shops to write while in the company of other writers. I've never perfected this skill. I always feel watched. It's not so much that I think I am so interesting that others wouldn't be able to take their eyes off of me. It's more that ... once released into the wild ... watching others is what I do. If I'm doing it, then why wouldn't others be doing it to me? Other writers? If they're anything like me, they shouldn't be trusted in a group of people.
**sidenote**
Taking a book alone to a Starbucks or just about any other place is a different situation. The book acts as a sort of forcefield. Most of the time.
**end sidenote**
Also, there's the ten bucks or so I spend at each write-in because as much as I think I might be that person who can sit in a restaurant for several hours without spending a dime, I am not that person. I will spend my last dime so as to avoid being impolite or exposing myself to the ridicule of only having a dime.
Finally, I remain unconvinced that writing gets done in the company of other writers. I've seen a very few do this. I can't say they do it successfully. But there are those extroverted people who at least put up a good show of making conversation while concentrating on their work.
But despite my vow to avoid Nano, at the end of October I found myself not writing anything. So, I thought, "Why not?" For a few days I toyed with the idea of write-ins. Then I reminded myself, I don't actually get any writing done at them.
It's only day three but during the last few months I've gotten in the habit of writing every day. So, we'll see how this goes.
And... I'm curious. Anyone else doing Nano and what do you think of it?
It is a little different in the United States because we have Thanksgiving. You know ... celebrating that mistake we made centuries ago. So, it actually is our holiday season. There's been Christmas stuff up since before Halloween.
