NaNoWriMo and the Act of Creating

November has undoubtedly been an important month for so many of us who love to write, and I always find myself so fired up just before the end. Why? It’s National Novel Writing Month, and the air is rich with the act of creating. I’m so excited to announce the completion of the first draft of The Unseen, and there’s nothing I want more than to dive into part 3 of my trilogy. However, we have to remember to replenish some of that energy we spent trudging through the November noveling trenches, and November/December is a great time to reflect on what brings this energy to you. Here’s what’s been keeping me going:

Jigsaw Puzzles!
It’s true though… this month I cleared off my dinner table and set that space aside to work on puzzles. I found that it was a great source of inspiration, and there’s something about the act that forces you to think more creatively as you look at different angles and think of a strategic approach to see “the big picture”. It’s a great mirror for the act of writing a novel as well. When you draft a story, you’re building the borders, starting with the bare corners. Then you slowly fill it in, smooth it all out, and maybe you’ll put it in a sweet little frame when you’re done!

This entire wall is becoming a hub of inspiration for my writing. I chose jigsaw puzzles that reflect my settings, and I even pin photos, fake book covers, and encouraging critiques around them.
Origami
I’m not sure what possessed me to do this, but the other day I had a bucket list moment, and I thought, “I want to make 1,000 paper cranes”. So I got a box of origami paper, watched a bunch of YouTube videos because the printed instructions made no sense to me, and I started making paper cranes. Okay, so I’m only up to 26, but hey, I figure if I can dedicate myself to a goal like making 1,000 paper cranes, I can be 1,000x more dedicated to shaping my writing to where I want it to be!

The cranes are currently hanging out with a few of my Funko buddies, and this really awesome photo that Chris Pratt signed for me. (Fun fact: Chris Pratt is the inspiration for the Peter Pan character in my trilogy. So I imagine his signature to mean, “Make your trilogy really fantastic so I can be in the movie someday!”)
Reading!
Of course. The first rule of being a musician is being a listener. The first rule of being a writer is being a reader. I devoured some fantastic books this month: The Martian was a fun read. Winter disappointed me a bit, but The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto knocked it out of the park. Someday, I want to spin descriptive gold the way Mitch Albom does so effortlessly.