Even when we are not writing we are writing. I was writing before I ever heard of National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo but I became instantly intrigued with the idea of writing fifty-thousand words in a month knowing that Thanksgiving would occur around crunch time. NaNoWriMo is a writers marathon, having succeed in the writers marathon several times in 2021 I came to the conclusion that NaNoWriMo was not for me.
My first entry was in 2011, the year after I had published my first novel. The original draft of Seven Days in Shunem Plus One died when my computer died, it was a mercy killing! Betwween 2012 and 2015 there was a lot going on in my life thus I started in 2013 but did not succeed but in 2015 I completed 50,928 words. In 2015 I participated in the Write-Ins, a time when a group of participants got together and wrote; our meeting place was Panera Bread.
The truth is my life was going not-good fast. Writing was my escape and NaNoWriMo was my excuse to avoid the people who were disappointing me. I wrote just enough words in 2016 to achieve the necessary goals but I knew as I as writing that it was junk. However I made some decisions about my life around that time and was making the necessary adjustments to accommodate my plans. I focused on my YouTube channel and wrote on my Blog from time to time but I did not have fifty-tohusand words on one topic to write about until 2021. As I finished the manuscript in record time (at least for me), around about the 23rd of November, I decided I was not doing NaNoWriMo again.
Everything has a behind the scenes story. My growth as a writer paralleled my growth as a Believer in Scripture both influenced my coming to develop my own personal identity. The one thing I have always known is that I am not like everyone else and the one thing I was beginning to conclude: I don’t have to be like other people.
PSALM 139:13-16 (KJV)
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

At the age of 60 I decided I did not have to be a people pleaser but I did have to please God. I always knew that but I did not always act the way I believe. But what does all this have to do with NaNoWriMo?
I always knew that NaNoWriMo had most liberal thinking participants and very few, if any traditional thinking Christians. It was very obvious when I participated in the Write-Ins, people were aware of me but did not interact with me- I was tolerated. I went there because it was better than being in an environment where people did not understand a writer’s mindset: being in the zone and not appreciating interruptions, staring off into space not talking and not wanting people to talk to you, walking around physically but developing a character mentally which means “DON’T TALK TO ME!”. Besides, I loved Panera Bread, lately the food has been a bit disapointing, thus attending a Write-In was an opportunity to eat and write uninterrupted. But, I was surrounded by people who did not have the same values that I had. When the virus shut everything down the ability to gather with fellow writers was no longer available and the online communities became more active.
Considering all the years I have been a part of NaNoWriMo I should have been able to find a Conservative leaning Christian group of writers, after all this is an international activity. I have not. I have come to the conclusion that it is not NaNoWriMo that has the “issue” but me, I have not found a local church that has similar biblical understandings either. I have found churches that embrace much of my ideology and one in particular that teaches and preaches Scripture in a way that helps me to grow spiritually, unfortunately the church is located in Ireland.
What I have noticed is that society as a whole functions via labels, categories and classifications, even unclassified groups are classified. Political affiliations, Religious groups and subgroups (denominations, Race, and Gender (even being non-binary is a classification), are all ways others determine how to interact with someone.
Stereotypes are based out of these classifications thus if you ask a writer what is his genre whatever your genre is this is how you will be treated. People are surprised to learn that a writer friend and I don’t talk about politics or religion even though her area of expertise is history and mine faith; we talk about prepping concepts and crafts. When I walk in a room filled with White Writers many don’t know how to treat me because they don’t know what “genre” I write in apparently there is a difference between Christian Fiction and Urban Christian Fiction because the responses are unique to which genre I say I write in.
Facebook is my happy place for sharing ideas without being locked in to a particular classification. Facebook is a forum of true diversity, at least with my FBFs (Facebook friends) thus, I have found over the years it is easier for me to vent on Facebook when I reach a writing block. Which brings me to the conclusion: There really is no need for NaNoWriMo.
This year I am using the opportunity to see if I can write every day for 30 days no matter what is going on, including Thanksgiving. I am not focusing on writing 50,000 words in 30 days. The fact that I have yet to publish anything I have written in the years that I have participated is also a factor.
The experience has been worth it. I have learned my strengths and weaknesses but it is time for me to move on. I have not established in friendships thus the activity has been an isolating activity. For me NaNOWriMo has become a warm-up exercise and now it is time for me to go to work. This writer needs to write more.

I am an active participant of National Novel Writing Month- these entries are unedited on purpose- Marsha L Floyd