Wednesday, November 17, 2010

NaNo Brain

I think I've got NaNo Brain.  It's one of those functional disorders where you look perfectly normal and you can blend in with regular people.  It's not even debilitating.  It's just annoying.  Any time anyone asks me how I'm doing, my first thought is "I'm behind".  Or when they ask me what I've been up to and I answer with "It's November" as if that explains it all.  Because, you see, ever since November 1st, all I can think about is NaNoWriMo. 

That's a bit of an exaggeration.  I do think about other things, but NaNo is at the forefront of everything else.  I think about my word count constantly.  When I'm doing something else, I'm thinking about how I'm going to get more words out later.  I could be having a conversation with you, and the whole time I'm plotting my next scene.  (Which may be why the few conversations I've had this month end up with the other person staring at me funny.) 

I've been so focused on NaNo, I even suspended my querying.  Not by conscious thought, but when I look back at the last query I sent out, I realize, somewhere along the way, that important task fell through the cracks.  (Or rather fell through the crack in my head.)

I should be over this by December 1st.  Please, god, let me be over this by then.  I need to become a normal human again.  (Okay... as normal as I ever was.)  I need to be able to hold a conversation with my friends and family.  I'd like to watch an entire program without feeling guilty that I haven't met my word count yet.

Until then, I'll just keep motoring along.  Having NaNo Brain isn't really so awful as long as there's an end in the foreseeable future. 

And if you see me next month, still talking to myself in public and mumbling about word counts, call a professional.  By then, I'll need one.  ;o)

6 comments:

  1. I think it's fabulous to get obsessed with something like writing! I love it when I'm constantly thinking about it... it's like living in your own secret world. And it's good to have a query break! You can come back refreshed.

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  2. Definitely understand the obsession. I finished last week and have been doing school stuff and I STILL can't focus on anything else.

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  3. Ooh, NaNo brain. I have that, even though I'm not doing NaNo. I hope to snap out of it by next week... I hope.

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  4. I have something like Nano brain except I'm not doing Nano. Just obsessing over writing!

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  5. LOL! I'm with you. I really didn't want to write last night, but I didn't want to have to make it up tonight. You will prevail!

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  6. I think Nano Brain is a qualifiable syndrome. I get it often. Unfortunately, I'm NOT doing it this year, but I'm waist-deep in revisions right now, and only the Nano spirit is keeping me going!

    Good luck! ;)

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