“Writing is a process, a journey into memory and the soul.” ― Isabel Allende

“Arewethereyetarewethereyetarewethereyet?” — Bart and Lisa Simpson

Energy and enthusiasm seems to carry folks through the first week of NaNo — or any new project, for that matter. The second week is where the thing is no longer quite so shiny and new and is still a long way from being finished. Suddenly, sitting down in front of the keyboard or picking up the knitting needles becomes much less enticing. Today, we’re supposed to hit 16,667 words for those folks who are aiming for 50K. (If not, your mileage will vary.) It sounds like a lot of words. It is a lot of words.

It’s also only one third of the way through the damn process. Twenty days left to go. We tell ourselves it’s all about the journey, but there is a part of our brain that’s got “Are we there yet?” on permanent loop.

I love writing; it’s one of my favorite things in the world. There are also moments when I feel as if I would rather have a root canal without anything to numb the gums than sit at the keyboard and pull the words out. It is part of the journey, though. You cannot have written without actually writing. And the thing about journeying is that there’s always going to be that bit where you’re just glad to get through that stretch because the traffic is bad, the terrain’s taxing on your car or there are…interesting sights and smells.

But we keep going because we want to reach our destination and we’re convinced it’s worth the effort. Sometimes it’s hard to remember at this point, but we’ll make it. Onwards and upward. In the meantime, though, ignore the two kids in the back seat.