2009 year in review: best challenge of the year.
what i learned from writing 50,000 words in 30 days.
1. that i am capable of producing more creative output than i think i am.
2. routine is the chief gateway to get anything creative done.
3. getting up at 5.30 every morning starts the night before.
4.being lonely and afraid has it’s own surprising rewards like bravery and poignancy.
5. life moves very quickly and i want to minimize my regrets on my death-bed about what i wanted to do and experience in my life but didn’t for all the usual hollow reasons.
6. being cheered on by people online through twitter that you have never met brought me a feeling of connection and support that is the best part of humanity.
7. setting a goal that is slightly outside my known level of attainment is a good stretch for my skin and my heart/mind, and then accomplishing that goal through daily commitment brings an inner sense of pride and confidence.
8. that the hours of pre-dawn darkness to light is some of the most beautiful, powerful atmosphere i have been in.
9. that having a ritual, like making tea, lighting a candle and offering my work on behalf of all beings made things easier somehow.
10. that monday, when i begin another round of 2,000 words a day until the end of january, that i have a frame of reference for what feels overwhelming. i can do this, i tell myself. i have done it before. and what an abiding joy self-comfort is.
bindu wiles 
#1, #2, #5, #7: absolutely. #4: ah, the surprise and expansiveness of polarities. #8: you, too, eh? there’s something about the stillness of that time of day (i call it dark:thirty) that is addictive because that’s the time when i know – i just flat-out know – there’s nothing i can’t do . . . then the rest of the world wakes up and disputes it. good writing. look forward to more.
argh i LOVED this…nanowrimo is a powerful thing, for sure. there’s a distinctive sense that truly, anything is possible once you break through the imaginary (but surprisingly powerful) barrier of your own mind. congratulations again!!
What a great post. I love the pre-dawn quiet of my mind and the world. It’s a hugely warm, creative, peaceful time.
Kind of wished I’d done the NaNoWriMo challenge now. The novel that I’ve been wanting to write for 16 years would have been done in a month. Snap!
#1 and #2 are turning out to be very true. My blog didn’t see some real action from me until Gwen Bell’s blog challenge came along. I needed structure! (light bulb comes on). And I didn’t know I could write this consistently either.
#5 also true. My dad passed away at 56. He didn’t even make it to SIXTY. By the time he made it to my age (32) his life was already more than half over. That kind of reality check puts a fire under you.
Yes, Twitter defintely helps. The support helps me keep going.
Very good list.
So beautiful…all that you’ve accomplished, all that you’ve written even here, all that you’re reflecting on, and this: “…being lonely and afraid has it’s own surprising rewards like bravery and poignancy.” Your vulnerability, combined with such strength is absolutely lovely – and SO compelling. Thank you for being brave and poignant in out-loud, visible, amazing ways!
Love this, Bindu. Congratulations. I can’t imagine NOT knowing you. Twitter is powerful.