A couple of years ago, when I was having my sophomore or junior year high school evaluation, my evaluator mention something called NaNoWriMo when she saw my penchant for long fantasy tales. I can't remember all the details, but I think it's this writing program where you commit to writing a book by a very short deadline and do so by penning something like a thousand words a day. I probably have those numbers messed up, but basically you are writing a lot everyday so you can get your book finished. I know people who go through this program and they have written trilogies in about three years. I bring up NaNoWriMo because doing this collaborative project with other sci-fi writers has us committing to something similar. We each had two days to contribute a thousand words to the "origin story." I submitted my thousand words a little bit ago and my mind feels like it just finished a sprint. It's exciting writing with other people, mixing your ideas into one huge melting pot but at the same time, it's terrifying. You are not just answerable to your publisher, to yourself, but to all these other writers. They are just as big a part of the story as you are, and they have just as much a right critique you as you do them. I feel like I have something to prove. I feel like a punk kid in a room full of executives. I guess I'm just worried they won't like my writing. That's what it always comes down to, isn't it? Will they like the story, the characters, the diction, the pace? Is it obvious this is my first time working on a project like this? One thing I am sure of: I will make sure to enjoy this experience, no matter what turns it takes. Easier said than done, I know, but I don't want to be in a constant state of anxiety for the next five months and only afterward realizing how gratifying the experience was. Yeah, not gonna happen. No matter where the story takes me, I want to remember to find light in the dark places. And if the darkness is overwhelming, then all the more reason to find the light.
-Grace
Hey, punk kid . . . Ya done good in the story :-). This has been an interesting project. It's my first time collaborating, too. I'm surprised and pleased with the story.
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