At 3354 Adeline: Closing Another Chapter... Changed

As Camp NaNoWriMo intern, Katharine Gripp inspired writers through leading Virtual Write-Ins, and encouraged student voices through Student Pep Talks. She says goodbye… and makes us tear up a little:

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Saying goodbye, I’ve found, can be a little bit like writing a novel. All the basic elements are there: that awkward beginning when you search for those few elusive words that will lead the way into the heart of what you’re trying to say; the anxiety of putting those words together in a way that is both coherent and meaningful; and even, sometimes, those late nights lying awake after you’ve shared your carefully chosen words with someone else, wondering, ‘Did they really get it? Did I get across everything I wanted to say?’

With novels, luckily, things can always be re-written, in second or third (or fiftieth) drafts. However, with goodbyes, you don’t always have that luxury, and you never quite know which draft is going to be the final copy.

But I’ve also found that with both writing a novel and saying goodbye, there is always a current of excitement running underneath the sometimes overwhelming element of uncertainty—excitement for what’s coming next, for new and uncharted territory. With writing, it can often be that next idea bubbling up in your brain, waiting to break the surface and turn into another messy, magical portal to a different world. With goodbyes, the excitement often stems from the knowledge that whatever your next adventure is, you will jump into it changed and inspired by the people or places you’re saying goodbye to.

I’ve moved around a lot in my life, but somehow I never get much better at saying goodbyes (hopefully, that’s another thing that’s different from writing novels). Working in the NaNoWriMo office for the past six months has been one of the best (and most fun!) experiences I’ve had, from throwing candy and confetti at the computer during Write-Ins, to working with the young writers who shared their phenomenal Pep Talks with the NaNo community… not to mention several cutthroat games of office Uno.

Despite my inevitable sadness at leaving, I console myself with the fact that all the wonderful people here will still be close (and although I don’t really mean geographically, that’s true too: I’ll probably gate-crash more Uno games at some point in the near future—shhh). That undercurrent of bubbling excitement pushes me forward with the knowledge that, even though I won’t be sitting at this desk next week, the support of the community I’ve found here will always be with me, no matter what happens next.

Katharine Gripp hails from the exciting and well-known metropolis of Fairhope, AL. She recently graduated from Vassar College with a degree in English and a minor in Medieval and Renaissance history, which she chose to pursue mostly because of her life-long addiction to Young Adult fantasy novels. When not writing, Katharine spends most of her time dancing, hiking in the beautiful wilderness, getting paint on most of her clothes and occasionally on a canvas, more dancing, creating ridiculous costumes, and even more dancing.

Top photo by Flickr user Dolinski.