The past month, I’ve been working hard on NaNoWriMo, so naturally I have to have an obligatory blog post about this insane challenge that I’ve again committed to.

I should first say that I heartily recommend it to anyone, especially if they haven’t tried before and would really like to have a go at writing a novel. That being said, I’ve found it quite exhausting. I’m glad I’ve decided to commit to it, but I’m tired.

Writing an average of some 1600 words a day has only been possible due to the fact that I’ve completed my TAFE course. It’s taken a lot of energy and time to stay on track, but I feel that I’ve managed to achieve a good result. The quality of my newest NaNoWriMo attempt is far better than my previous years.

The idea I had was fairly different compared to my previous stories. It’s a more modern setting, with some more contemporary ideas. Borrowing on some of the major crises of the modern world, there’s certainly a different kind of pressure to that sort of writing.

Now that’s not the greatest excuse to be late for a blog post, but perhaps it’s part of the reason that I’ve been somewhat depleted of my inspiration. No stress though! I can always find something to put a few words into.

It was something of an insight into the life of what a professional writer may be, though without any of the ‘real’ stress and pressure. Recently I’ve felt an increasing desire to drop all of my other major commitments at this time, and simply give myself over to writing.

It’s hard to know if I’d really be happier, or not. The quest for true happiness is a lifelong endeavour. I don’t think I’ll ever give up writing, but I would love more than anything to be able to write for a living. Unfortunately, this is something that few can really aspire to, and even fewer achieve.

Even those writers who are able to subsist based on public appearances, workshops and conferences are few and far between. Such achievement comes with great difficulty, and ongoing, daily stress.

The way that I’m currently progressing with my life is taking me in a direction that suggests I will be ‘safer’, or hopefully better off. I’m planning on heading to university next year. Again. This career choice will almost certainly take me into a far better paying job than writing could realistically give me.

We all face times in our lives when we must take risks. The risk of giving up everything for my writing is one I’m not willing to take just now. As much as I love my writing, as much as I believe in it, and as much support as I get from others, that’s not enough.

While believing in yourself will help bring about success, that alone is far from guaranteed. We can hope for all the very best things for ourselves in life, but we cannot limit ourselves, or narrow our scope.

There are multiple ways I can thrive in my life. I know, in my heart, that I can be happy any way I look at this. It’s a question we all have to ask ourselves: How can I prepare for the worst?