Reid About It

I know a lot of people who read my musings at ReidAboutIt.com are also writers, musicians, office comedians, and other folks who create. Today, I'd like to know where it all comes from.

November is National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a Novel in one month, and to produce fifty thousand words in the thirty days of November.

As a writer, I have participated in NaNoWriMo a couple of times before. My annual committment to NaNoWriMo is somewhere around my annual commitment to giving up Cokes. My iron resolve to pour out fifty thousand words usually lasts somewhere between a few weeks and a few hours. In my two years trying to follow NaNoWriMo, I've produced about 1200 words, two limericks, and a haiku.



For some reason it just doesn't work for me. I have written a lot of words in a short time before, but that's usually after inspiration hits. When I try and schedule some creative time, I usually sit down and come up as empty as Clint Howard's trophy case.

Inspiration is a cruel mistress. In fact, quite often when I am searching for inspiration I wind up on the internet searching for cruel mistresses instead, but that's a whole other story.

Sometimes I wonder what happens the day you go to create, and there's nothing there. Am I just going to run out of ideas, like the guys who write "Heroes"?