I’m in the NaNoWriMo trenches and it’s been a tough weekend. At one point things got so challenging I started procrastinating about how the life of a writer feels very similar to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Here are the similarities with Lord of the Rings and being a writer:

• Your story is the ring and you secretly believe that in the right hands it could bring you great literary power.
• When you start writing your book it feels like you are embarking on an exciting and perilous journey just like those hobbits.
• There is a chance you are already obsessed with your draft book (a.k.a. the ring) and if you’re not careful you could end up spending years in darkened solitude whispering ‘my precious’ to it.
• You battle against the forces of evil on a daily basis, in your case inner writing demons. Your demons will always find you.
• You become paranoid about others around you trying to steal your story (a.k.a precious ring).
• Just like those hobbits you also have a merry band of followers, keeping you company on your literary journey. In your case followers on your blog, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
• You reveal your story idea to a select few and find yourself whispering ‘keep it secret keep it safe!’
• Your literary journey is long, arduous and at times a personal struggle.
• Just like the ring your draft book has started to feel like a heavy weight around your neck.
• At times you quite like the idea of chucking your draft book into a pit of fire.
• In the past you have found yourself thinking about how the following quotes from Lord of the Rings have given you strength and hope during your writing journey; ‘courage is found in unlikey places’ and ‘may it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out’, and ‘still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate, and ‘even the smallest person can change the course of history.’
• One of the lessons from Lord of the Rings is how there’s always hope. No matter how many times you fall there is still hope. The same applies to writing. ❤️

Keep going on your journey, writer.