It has been a very long time, but I did it. Again. National Novel Writing Month lasts for the thirty days of November and encourages all participants to write a very rough draft of a novel that is at least 50,000 words long. I think this may have been my sixth time completing the challenge, but I’m not entirely sure anymore. It feels like a lifetime ago thinking back to when I last made the attempt.

This time, I brought some of my students along for the ride. There’s a Young Writer’s version of the challenge and I had six students reach their word goals and ten or so make an attempt to get there. We spent many recesses together with Chromebooks in the hallway (social distancing) to help us get to our word count goals. They had a blast and so did I.

So, while it will probably never be published, I can yet again say, “I wrote a book.” It’s a children’s book and it’s in its infancy as a wretched first draft, but it’s a book in any case and for now, that’s definitely something.

And for now, while it just sits and waits for the major overhauling of the revision process, I am back to blogging. Which isn’t a major accomplishment, either, but still, in my world, its definitely something. I feel blessed by words in so many ways, big and small, and in this space or while working on a book, I feel a part of me soar. And that, is a huge blessing indeed.