![\"Lisa](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/profile.jpg\")
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Lisa Hardy<\/strong> is writing a book based on her research in medical anthropology. As a professor in the Department of Anthropology, she\u2019s always working on a journal article or three. And she\u2019s added a novel to her to-write list. Knowing she\u2019s already doing a metric ton of writing, The NAU Review<\/em> asked her to write one more thing\u2014an explanation for why she\u2019s participating in National Novel Writing Month.<\/p>\n NaNoWriMo, as it\u2019s colloquially referred to by those who participate, is an annual challenge to novelists: write 50,000 words of a new novel in the month of November. (That\u2019s 1,667 words a day, but who\u2019s counting? Answer: You are.) You can participate officially, even signing up for NaNoWriMo<\/a>, or you can participate unofficially\u2014writing a few minutes every day, finding an accountability partner where you both check in on each other\u2019s progress or otherwise take steps to writing the great American novel.<\/p>\n It’s the halfway point, and we checked in with Hardy about how she\u2019s doing, how she sets herself up for success (and accounts for the occasional writer\u2019s block) and the benefit of having friends you can text on the up days and the down days of writing. Read her answers below.<\/p>\n Ever since I was a small child, I\u2019ve had the desire to write. When I was small, I wrote little stories in spiral notebooks, narrated everything I did and organized all of my books into a library with my own card catalogue system. All these years later I still have the desire to write creatively, though I let the actual task of doing it fall away. Each day I open my notebook of things to do and turn my attention to the items that are actively on fire. Each day I choose immediate tasks over more meaningful work that is less comfortable and less personally meaningful to me. NaNo gives me the opportunity to prioritize writing as a non-negotiable activity. It\u2019s also invigorating to place importance on this part of my life along with my writing buddies and with people I don\u2019t know all over the world.<\/p>\n This fall has not been easy. I haven’t had much time or energy. Though participating in NaNo means I look carefully for minutes I can write and grab them.\u00a0No editing or worrying\u2014just writing. This month I’ve written in my kitchen, on my\u00a0couch, in\u00a0bed, in coffee shops, in airports and on planes, at my office and\u00a0in a hotel.\u00a0I have a couple of projects I\u2019m working on at once and I go back and forth between them. When I get stuck, I text with\u00a0writing buddies here in town and\u00a0in New York, Houston and\u00a0Boston.\u00a0We ask one another if we are actively writing or not and encourage one another to write in timed sprints or whenever and wherever we can.<\/p>\n The most important part of NaNo for me is to let go of worry and shame that comes with being a creative person. Most of us carry around ideas of what we want to do along with fear of not doing those things. We can get caught on\u00a0a long and\u00a0dark path away\u00a0from doing the things we love. NaNo, for me, is a way back to just doing the things.\u00a0It\u2019s fun and it\u2019s optional and it doesn\u2019t matter if you don\u2019t finish it.<\/p>\n I first signed up for NaNo in 2013. Never once have I completed my writing goals during the month. I don’t mind at all. NaNo is for\u00a0fun. This year is different because I have defined and planned projects, and\u00a0I\u00a0have made much more progress. This is really an important shift for me.<\/p>\n Sometimes creative writing projects can just become a thing floating out\u00a0around us that may or may not ever get done. It\u2019s easy to obsess over what I\u2019m going to write or want to write and think about if it\u2019s good enough or what I need to do differently before I even do anything at all. We all have\u00a0everyday responsibilities and full lives. Taking time to prioritize creative projects by putting them on the list as a goal and not just a thing that might eventually get done\u00a0helps to bring actions into alignment with what’s important to us.<\/p>\n I also\u00a0really like the little dopamine hits of earning badges in the NaNo platform. These are small things, but they do make a difference for me, and they make it seem fun to update my word count or record my progress with others.<\/p>\n It can sometimes be tempting to quit or to feel defeated by a lack of time and energy. This year I’ve been doing pretty well with listening to my supportive writing buddies and providing the same support for them about shame-free participation in NaNo. My writing buddy group includes people with different health and employment\u00a0challenges, which means writing isn’t always possible, but we are still there for one another to celebrate even the smallest accomplishments and to\u00a0support one another on days when words may not come.<\/p>\n The other pitfall that I have encountered this year is the fear. I\u2019m not sure why creative work can be so scary. I think it\u2019s not unusual to get pulled into a spiral of doubt when we ask ourselves why it\u2019s so challenging to do the things that are meaningful to us. I can question myself incessantly wondering why I don\u2019t do this more, if I can accomplish it at all, what happens if I don\u2019t finish it, why I thought I could do it, and on and on.\u00a0When that happens, it takes some inner work and wisdom from\u00a0writing buddies\u00a0to find my way back to the writing path and keep going.<\/p>\n Keep on writing even if you don’t reach any of your goals. Connect with others who are doing it too. You don\u2019t have to share your actual writing with anyone else until you\u2019re ready and you can buddy up with people writing completely different content. Do what you can and cheer for others. And, most importantly, avoid getting worried about a\u00a0final product. Do not let any slow days or days not writing stop you. Just keep moving forward and putting words down on that page. Let yourself enjoy the process of it if you can. And do it again next year too. And the year after that.<\/p>\n Happy writing!<\/p>\nWhy are you doing NaNoWriMo? <\/strong><\/h3>\n
What does it look like for you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How do you set yourself up for success?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What’s the benefit of participating?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What pitfalls do you run into?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What advice do you have for others doing NaNoWriMo?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDid you know that Cline Library has an NAU Authors room? The shelves are filled with novels, histories, research, books of poetry and personal essays and more written by NAU faculty. Explore their works online<\/a> or browse the shelves in this comfortable reading nook to find your new favorite book!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"