The Break Up

My Nano 2009 novel and I broke-up. Together, my novel and I crossed the word-count finish line on November 31 in dramatic fashion… but then I left it there at the finish line and moved on with my life. But was the finish line I was racing towards a 50,000 word count or a complete novel? Things were very messy between us and did not end well. Whether or not my novel still had more to say, I wasn’t going to listen. I allowed myself to make excuses and quit. I was tired of working through our problems.

No different than a nasty break-up when you decide you just want to be single for a while, I wrote nothing. No novel. No blog. No writing commitment. I wrote nothing more creative than the occasional status update on Facebook or Twitter. But then there was that chance encounter that brought us together again. I was on the commuter train and bored with the scenery, my Blackberry, and my iPod. I fired up my laptop and read through my incomplete draft, abandoned at 50,475 words.

I had convinced myself months ago that because we had broken-up, I could never again have anything to do with my novel. We couldn’t be friends. But as I passed the time on the train, I started to remember all of the things I liked about my novel; an entertaining prologue worthy of publishing, one character I was particularly fond of, and a plot that was slowly revealing its secrets. When I got to the final word written on November 31, I was surprised that I had stopped writing. Dare-I-say it was something I had enjoyed reading?

Since that fateful day that brought us together again a few things have changed. I have since begun extensive research and planning for a new novel that better suits me; less adventure and mystery, more character and drama. I’m not going to write 50,000 words in 31 days. My goal is to write and always be thinking and working towards completing a solid novel.

I feel lonely when I’m not writing and real life is more difficult without having the opportunity to lose myself in writing. I’m taking the time to identify some long term goals, apart from the obvious write & finish a novel, that will help me to become a better and successful writer.

And will I ever finish my Nano 2009 novel?