This month is national novel writing month, or nanowrimo. It’s a deal to get authors off their butts and over the initial hurdle of “I’m going to write that book, someday.” The premise is you have a goal of 50,000 words to write by the end of November. However you accomplish that goal is up to you, but you free yourself by saying the content doesn’t matter, just doing something is the important part.

I really like the idea, but I don’t have any real desire to write a book. I do, however, have a blog. And I have a desire to make my words gooder. So this is my inaugural posting for nablowrimo.

I should rethink that acronym.

Anyway, I’m not sure where I first heard the concept, but I’ve read several places that if you want to journal/blog you should write a minimum of a thousand words a day. My goal for this month is just that: a thousand words a day over the course of November. After that we’ll see if I keep it up or not.

My deeper motivation, aside from writing practice, is that I have a lot of stories and anecdotes I’d love to tell but I have a difficult time actually typing them out. I’m not sure why I have such inertia against sitting down and writing. For example, there’s a whole story about the Emotron that I would love to share, and frankly I need to get it down before my memory totally changes the history of the event. Each time I tell it, the story subtly changes — details are lost, certain aspects are exaggerated. The story kind of loses its flavor and lustre. Plus, it’s a great story that involves music, fire, and the appearance of genitals.

Another thing I’d like to explore are some of the neat insights having a daughter has granted me. Nothing earth-shattering, just fun observations. An example is a sudden onset of road rage the other day. I was minding my own business in front of a store, waiting for my wife to come back out from picking up a few things. Suddenly some guy blared his horn at me wanting me to move. Doing so he woke me daughter, causing her to cry in fear. Adelaide never cries. I could have knifed the guy at that moment — the takeaway from that is I guess I’m not as gentle a person as I thought. Or it’s the oxytocin talking. Somewhat related, I’d like to write about how not to be a bad parent.

But mainly I just like sharing and connecting with people. Ever since the early days of my Thought of the Moment mailing list, this blog’s predecessor, I’ve had a positive response from my words. And even before that, in high school, people responded well to my writing. A seminal moment was sharing a crappy little poem I wrote as a Freshman (a poem which I still know by heart). The teachers I showed it so were so enthusiastic, and the flow felt so right, I felt like I’d discovered some kind of new power with writing.

So whether it’s learned or something inbuilt, or just what everyone wants out of life: to be known and loved, I’m off on an adventure. And it looks as if my first day will be a small one (because I also don’t want to needlessly pad my numbers.)

I shall endeavor to keep it interesting.

Wish me luck!

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