Thursday, November 5, 2015

Wading Through My NaNo Novel's Message

I started #NaNoWriMo this week, and as I'm writing a book about a broken marriage, I'm reminded I need to guard and protect my own marriage this month.

In the opening paragraph, my MC is annoyed with her husband:

Kaylee sighed as she picked up Justin's underwear from the bathroom floor and tossed it into the hamper. Seriously? She was still amazed that after thirteen years of marriage, the single most difficult feat for her husband each morning was to overcome the three-foot Everest that separated the floor and his laundry basket.

When Howell read it, he joked, "Babe, everyone is going to think I don't pick up my underwear now."

I laughed and promised to set everyone straight and then went back to tapping on my keyboard.

[Let the record show, by the way, that my husband is perfectly capable and deft when it comes to putting his clothes in the hamper.]

The novel I will write this month is not about my own marriage. It's not even about anyone's marriage in particular.

But it is about marriage, and it's a story that's on my heart to write because I care deeply about the success of our marriages today (obviously—or we wouldn't blog on the topic each week :)).

Howell's comment, which I initially did dismiss, does give me pause to consider how I might be careful to protect our marriage these 30 days.

As I devote extra time to writing, I want to be sure he and I still connect every day. And as I get into my characters' heads—two people who have created bad habits of unresolved arguments and snarky one-liners—I need to guard my own thoughts about my husband, whom I want to think highly of and whom I want to speak lovingly toward at all times.


Pray for me, friends, as I wade through this novel's message, and if you're doing #NaNoWriMo, share your first paragraph, too! :) [Tweet This.]

p.s. If this post seems short (a whopping 353 words), it's because I've devoted all my words this week to NaNoWriMo! Ha!


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