It’s November 1st, the start of NaBloPoMo.

Or so I thought. Or so it has been in years past. But, I can’t find any links to a sign up this year.

I didn’t participate in NaBloPoMo last year. Maybe it had already ceased to be a thing. I didn’t even look to see if there was an organized NaBloPoMo event going on. I figured working to unscramble my brain after my car accident and co-authoring a book was enough writing work to grant me a pass on NaBloPoMo. Still, I had left this page dormant and let the cobwebs accumulate long before last November, even though November was the month I made a “conscious choice” not to blog.

Then, December came and passed, as did January, February, and March. I ignored the niggling voice in the back of my head and pushed down any call write. It wasn’t until last April that I posted again on this page. 2 quick hits about a fall and a newly reinjured brain, and that was it. Then came a few posts over at www.InsidersGuidetotheInjuredBrain.com.

Then, I went quiet. Again.

And, for the most part, I’ve stayed quiet. Painfully so.

As a writer, it’s hard not to admonish myself when I don’t write. I mean, can I even call myself a writer if I’m not writing? Read any book on writing and you’ll find a common mandate that you must make writing your practice if you want to hone your craft.

But, writing is so much more than pounding on a keyboard or scratching a pen across the pages of a journal. Writing is laying oneself bare, digging into the quiet spaces, pulling off scabs and opening old wounds. For me, writing implores me to quiet the noise and listen; listen to what is calling for my attention, what is begging to be explored, and ruminated upon, and, sometimes, even shared here. Quiet, though, doesn’t come easily. Perhaps as much as writing, writers must make quiet their practice. Therein lies my struggle.

Still, I’m a fighter and though I’ve struggled with the changes that came with my brain injury, in particular, quieting the noise and silencing the distractions, I am a writer.

And, writers write.

So, whether or not there is an organized online challenge for NaBloPoMo, I’ve decided to challenge myself to write, and write, and write some more this month. Hopefully, along the way, the quiet and the words will come easier and invite me to the keyboard or my journal more often. Because through writing, I discover myself.

P.S. If you know of a page link to NaBloPoMo, please share with me in the comments below. Though I will do my best to drive and maintain my motivation and post every day during the month of November, it is always fun to share the journey with others. Would you like to join me?