NaNoWriMo Ends

So it's the end of November, we're passing towards December, the final month of the year. The final month before we proceed to a new one, one which is rumored to be our last.

I obviously do not believe in such nonsense. However, the month of December does bring with it one thing: the end of NaNoWriMo.

Fifty-thousand Words! Woohoo!

It was my first time attending it, and a great first time it had been. Of course, my English standard have not been affected, whether positively or negatively, by this event. Nonetheless, it was a fun experience. The people I've met, and the cake I've eaten makes up for it. For this month alone, I have spent lots of money on coffee and cakes alone. And I'm not even a big fan of coffee.

One thing I've learnt from NaNoWriMo was not a skill, but rather, an attitude. An attitude to alleviate what is know as 'brain crack'. 'Brain crack' refers to an idea you have, but you don't execute. Problem with this is that you will continue having that idea in your mind, improving it further and further, making the plan perfect in your mind. When you eventually carry out your plan, reality hits you, and it hits you hard. This results in a deep sense of disappointment. A feeling which would not have come about if action had been taken in the earlier stages.

I suffer from this a lot. Being a thinker more than a doer, a lot of my ideas are planned perfectly in my head. Majority of these do not become a part of reality. But not NaNo. NaNoWriMo has given me a reason to force myself to take action, everyday, without fail. Looking back, it is rather amazing that I managed to write about two thousand words a day. Two thousand words! That is, at most, two very long secondary school-length essays. Everyday. For one month.

People who had won NaNoWriMo in the past expressed that one of the main reason they participate was because of the feeling of accomplishment they've felt every NaNo they've participated in. I didn't feel such thing, mainly because I was present on every step of the way. The fifty thousand words increased gradually, one word by one word. There was no burst of ego at the end of the whole thing.

I think the change in me was subtle, one which I don't think I'll ever realise, but one which have affected me and will fundamentally change my life from now on. Of course, apart from my lack of sanity, that is.