NaNoWriMo
It’s that time of year again…
NaNoWriMo - which has become very much international - has been a very good thing for me. Every year I get to mess around and do something interesting knowing it’s only a month. If I screw up, it’s all experience. If I don’t, I get a book out of it. Today is:
Day 3
6173 words total
That’s a respectable rate and I’m happy with it; I can also continue to do the school run, and/or some exercise and the other necessary real things in my life without impacting that too much. All being well I’ll have another new book at the end of the year; then I can dive into a new Cal Sounder in January and edit one of my other projects over the summer… unless I get sucked into the emotionally perilous (but remunerative) tv cycle… well. Great problems to have. NaNoWriMo is a brilliant creative nudge in my life, and I’m glad to be back here again.
It’s also an excuse to say goodbye to Twitter for a while, which honestly - though individually I’m very fond of a lot of people I interact with - is utterly toxic to me at this point. It’s depressing, time-consuming and isolating. I much prefer reading books, learning new things and cooking. I’m rather hoping Musk just breaks it and I can lock my account forever more - which is remarkable because I also love Twitter, which has brought me stories, connection and information over the course of my engagement. Go figure: people are complex.
And I’ve just realised that I never wrote the quirky, odd book for which I originally signed up to NaNoWriMo in 2018. It began in a flooded Palace of Westminster…
Next year, perhaps.
I'm afraid that we're all on the same boat with Twitter.
It has been such a big part of my life in recent years (I only know you because of it), and it may be time to live. But there are so many people I only know from there and that I will definitely lost touch with if I leave. Trying Mastodon at the moment, and greatly enjoying it, but it's just not the same. (maybe it will be as enriching eventually? we'll see)
I am sad about Twitter. I have re engaged with old friends and made many new ones. I have a restricted account only to keep out trolls and other nasties but I almost always accept requests to follow me. I enjoy the running jokes,chats about ordinary but interesting things, Friday night silliness, being able to get answers to problems, advice & suggestions. I ignore the politics & block the angi vaxxers and conspiracy theorists. But there are more & more ads, and I don't trust Musk. If he makes it bad place to be where will all these nice, modest, interesting, friendly people and their conversations go ?