I never really planned to participate in the National Novel Writing Month. For the last three years since I learned of its existence, I’ve watched many of my writing friends take part in the madness, counting words and doing marathon writing sessions and virtual write-ins and what not, and I cowered at the mere thought of the pressure. I don’t do well with expectations and deadlines, see — not when they come from anyone but myself. And while you may argue that in NaNoWriMo, I’d take up the challenge voluntarily, it’s always felt more like a burden than motivation to me.

And yet.

This October, two things happened that made me want to try and bite the NaNoWriMo bullet: my second novel, Project Paris, got to a point where I knew I had to take a break and gain some perspective before adding the major changes it needs to be finished, and a story I’ve been sitting on for years finally sparked in my head.

You know the feeling when you have an idea and it’s good, but it just lacks something? You know there’s more to these characters and their story, but you can’t see the whole picture yet? It’s like an unripe fruit that needs some more time in the sun to mature. That was this story for me. I first dreamed it up about three years ago and it took its sweet time to grow, but then finally it plopped right into my lap, shiny and perfectly ready to be put on paper. And if I’m bursting with the need to produce tons of words, right at the brink of November, why not challenge myself with NaNoWriMo, after all? Who knows, maybe I’ll become a fan.

So here I am on day three, happily typing away, and it flows. I’m really excited about this story, and not just because I’ve wanted to write it for such a long time. It’s also new to me in a few important ways: this is the first young adult novel I’ve ever attempted, and it’s my first m/f story. Which doesn’t mean that I’m stepping away from the LGBTQ themes — far from it. But this novel, the first in a series of three in Project Three, is a story of a girl and a boy growing up and learning and experiencing life in its many colors, including all the colors of the rainbow.

Are you participating this year, too? Find me there as katefierro if you want to be a writing buddy 🙂