writing

In Recognition of the Saints Who Live With Writers

When I was a kid in Catholic school, November 1 meant dressing up as a saint and parading down the aisle of our parish church. A lot of the costumes involved plastic, medieval weaponry. At least one girl always dressed up as Joan of Arc, complete with sword and shield. There were a lot of angel wings and halos, too.

I no longer go to church on All Saints Day, or much at all. As an author, November 1 now has a very different meaning. November 1 kicks off  NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), when writers all over the world commit to a writing marathon of sorts, where they vow to write 50,000 words in one month.

I have participated in NaNoWriMo in years past. I have also done NaNoEditMo, and NaNoEdit Some Mo and Mo.  NaNoWriMo means waking up at 5 a.m. and banging out 500 words before work, then coming home and writing another 1,000+ words in the evening. It means not seeing or conversing much with your spouse, except to report on word counts and ask if the baby is still alive.

And so, on this high holy day and this inaugural day of NaNoWriMo, I want to recognize my husband, and all spouses and family members and close friends of writers. Because those people, truly, are saints of the highest order.

 

4 Comments

  • Susan

    EditMo! I’ve got deadlines coming up with my publisher. I’m so glad to hear you are moving along with your work in progress. Can’t wait to read it someday.

  • Annie

    Susan, I’m doing NaNo this year! Much like you two years ago, I have a work in progress that I’m hoping to push along this month. I was thinking about you this morning as NaNo dawned–and then I saw this post. Are you WriMo or EditMo this year? 🙂