Looking back on life evokes an array of emotions in each person. Someone who broke a severe addiction may feel gratitude for those who helped them along the way, but another person could feel shame and want to hide that part of their lives.
When I look back through my photos, I can sometimes feel wistful when I see pictures of my two cats. Both have passed away now, but I still remember the day I adopted them at the Humane Society 15 years ago. And the persimmon tree pictured here, I left it behind at our last house. I hope the current owner kept the tree and often wonder how large it has grown.
This month, for Camp NaNoWriMo, I've been dusting off a NaNoWriMo first draft that I wrote back in 2021. I remembered the gist of the story but not all the details. What I found has been an uplifting journey of editing and reliving an idea that excited me two years ago.
The excitement for the story, Three Scoops of Integrity, returned.
The protagonist, Johnna, realizes she hates her current self. She breaks up with her cheating boyfriend and leaves all their mutual friends and their belittling gossip behind. In doing so, Johnna realizes how much she has accidentally ostracized the people who matter while she was hanging out with "The Vapids." She makes a decision: rehash her blog about cleaning literal messes into a blog about regaining her personal integrity.
Editing a fresh first draft has been an immense joy. I'm still chatting with critique partners over older, more established manuscripts, but I'm looking forward to getting Three Scoops into a place where it's ready for partner comments.
And reading through it reminds me of my own personal journey of doing what Johnna did: weeding out people in my life who were bad for me, and drawing closer to those who genuinely care. It's hard to do. But my journey allowed me to let go of years-old bitterness and move on.
Another pleasant surprise with editing Three Scoops is the lack of beginner mistakes I used to make in my earlier novels. I can see all my own personal growth. No excess of adverbs to weed out, no dangling modifiers, no true plot holes. Its biggest weakness has been my tendency to switch from past to present tense. Those slips are harder to spot, but I'm getting there.
By the end of this month, I plan to work Three Scoops into a solid, edited draft. Will it be perfect? Absolutely not. Will I feel an immense sense of accomplishment from what I've done this month? Yes! It's all about the journey, reminding myself I'm a writer at heart. Even if I never make a dime doing what I love, I treasure the journey.
Keep on smilin'!
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