Ha. Can’t believe I’m actually begging for stress. But I am. I haven’t been writing any fiction in over 2 months and my creative self is dying.

I have decided that querying and blogging and tweeting and keeping up with social media don’t count toward keeping the creative juices flowing. Over the past 2 months, my brain is more sluggish. Ideas that I used to get while washing dishes have abandoned me. They’ve probably gone and visited other writers, active writers who are using my ideas right this very minute. I am no longer stimulated by people-watching when I’m standing in line at the grocery store. I haven’t opened my writing notebook in weeks. What’s the point? There’s nothing to write!

The other day, my daughter asked me what kind of language one of her fictional characters should speak, and I said “English.” My son asked me to draw a funny-looking frog and I couldn’t draw anything more than your typical frog with the bulging eyes and spindly feet. My husband asked me how my day went with my mother, and I gave him a straightforward report with none of my usual embellishments or drama.

Oh my head. I’ve become boring.

Well, okay, this is where NaNoWriMo comes in. I have been reading a bunch of different blog posts regarding NaNoWriMo. Some people have already begun writing. Some only have started outlines. Some are just going to fly by the seat of their pants and see where they end up on November 30th.

As for me, I am keeping in the spirit of the project and not writing one word until November 1st. If I average 2,000 words a day for the month then I’ll surpass 50,000 words, no sweat.

That is, if I can figure out how to write make-believe again.

So, please, NaNoWriMo, save me. Help me get back my twisted view of the world. Remind me what it’s like to lie inside truth! Force me to use ideas and images in different, original ways. Pummel me with engaging characters who refuse to leave my bedside until I drag myself out from under the cozy, warm blankets and to my laptop where I can bring them to life.

NaNoWriMo, bring back my creative self with a vengeance.