Like the scarf in the photo, my NaNoWriMo project has a long way to go. When the yarn is used up, the scarf will be finished. When the month is over, the project will be finished.
I can’t bring myself to write “the novel will be finished.” Unlike knitting the scarf, where the dimensions of the final product are well defined, I’m not sure exactly what will result after writing for 30 days with my self-editor on the disabled list. I just hope it’s as colourful and has something resembling a beginning, middle and end.
Producing Thursday’s instalment of words was a real chore. I checked my word count time and again to see if I’d finally hit my magic daily number of 1667 words. It felt like those bleak moments that I have as a teacher when I count the number of papers I have left to mark and the total is only 2 fewer than the last time.
Then the light went on. I’m in this for the long haul. It isn’t about one night’s word output; it’s about an entire 30 days of writing. I still have a pile of time ahead of me to use up. Just like I still have a lot of yarn to use up before the scarf is finished.
My scarf will grow in small increments, stitch by stitch, row by row, until the yarn is gone. And then I’ll knit something else. My NaNoWriMo project will grow word by word in daily instalments until the time is gone. When November is over, I’ll keep on writing because I’m a writer—not just for a month—but for the long haul.