To NaNo, or not to NaNo--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous publishers,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And put an end to them by not writing. . .
'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.  (adapted from Hamlet’s monologue)
 

To think that five years ago I had never heard of NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. Now it has become as much of a holiday for me as Thanksgiving. NaNoWriMo - a month given over to writing a novel. With writers throughout the country, I look forward to the month and make plans that I hope to execute starting November 1.

Last year I had set out to NaNo but failed in the endeavor. I just wasn’t ready to write that novel, or any novel at that point. Instead I worked on a non-fiction book I had been putting off.

Now as November approaches, I wonder whether I am ready to write another novel. I just finished the first draft of my latest novel and sent it off to beta readers. Maybe I need to take time off to rest and let the creative juices stew for a while. Or maybe I can jump into the next novel in my series which is in some ways a continuation of the previous one. I can work on that one while the other is being copy-edited.

What I will do, I don’t know yet. Like that great Dane, Hamlet, I can’t make up my mind. But I’m sure that eventually it will become clear to me.

What about you? Are you going to NaNo this year?

This post first appeared on https://patriciamrobertson.com