President's Corner

NOVEMBER 2006

NTRWA President, Sherry Davis

November for Writers -- A Cautionary Tale

The tricks and treats are over and another season of Thanksgiving approaches. Time to slow down, catch up with friends I haven’t seen except for the occasional birthday celebration, family I put off to work on the WIP (except for the hospital visits), and that deep house cleaning I thought I’d get to way back in the Spring that can’t be put off because the family is coming.

In short, time to touch base with all the things I’m thankful for, which include the seven-million school events and fundraisers (believe me, this is a very small exaggeration), my family with eleven birthdays throughout the month and the Thanksgiving holiday.

I both anticipate and dread November. I’m a writer. Writers write. But when I don’t, things get ugly. Serious funk ensues. By the time January rolls around, there is dust on the computer. (Dust! On my keyboard! On my 19 inch flat screen monitor!)

Last November, I decided to do something about it. I penciled in pages to be written every day, joined a fast draft yahoo group and plunged in, certain with all the accountability boundaries I’d put in place I’d be able to meet my goal.

I did write. But not well. All those things I was trying to write around pushed their way into my schedule, anyway. I was double busy and double stressed at the juggling act.

The moral of the story is November is a time of Thanksgiving. It’s the gong for all those jugglers to drop some of the balls and take a breather. Slowing down, doesn’t mean giving up. It just means there’s another perspective to be viewed.

So, instead of trying to fit everything in, I’ve decided to take a breath. If I don’t see you at the Roundup, I hope all of you have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving adding new memories to fill up the creative well inside.

Until then, happy writing (or not) and see you at the Christmas Party!