There are only two days and a few hours left in November. For some of us that means that NaNoWriMo is coming to an end, which means that it is time for those who are still thousands of words behind their 50K goal to chain themselves to their computers and type until their fingers collapse under the strain.
Not to brag, but I hit my goal a few days early.
But it didn't come without its challenges.
But it didn't come without its challenges.
Sometimes I got in my own way, and I'm sure you can relate.
Some of my worst offenses before and during NaNoWriMo:
Some of my worst offenses before and during NaNoWriMo:
- Excuses for avoiding the project or never moving past a certain stage of the writing process
- Using obsessive planning to procrastinate
- Negative, defeating thoughts
- Writing or talking about writing more than we actually write
We all have that inner script that spools up when we're knee-deep in working on our project.
It creeps up on us in the middle of a scene that just won't work. In the middle of finding ourselves stuck on the part of the story we thought would be easy. It encourages us to avoid challenging scenes and to dawdle.
And when we aren't in our own way, time and life are.
I believe that we all can carve out a few minutes every day to write. Even 10 minute spurts at a time add up. If something is important to you, you make the time to do it. You won’t find extra minutes hiding away in your cabinets. NaNoWriMo teaches us to write in spite of our daily lives.
An event like NaNoWriMo will force you to look hard at whether or not this project is important to you when you're itching for a reason to slack off.
Before NaNoWriMo and during it, doubt caused me to stumble, but I refused to stop. I had to remind myself that you can't revise a blank page.
November ending doesn't mean that the writing stops. The writing starts here. NaNoWriMo is simply a way to get you started. It is a challenge to kick you out of whatever rut you're in and teach discipline.
What matters is that you and I give our stories some thought every day. Word counts are arbitrary, but what matters is that you try. Finish the draft. Finish the story.
Now I don't have to wonder if I am even capable of writing this crazy sci-fi/fantasy adventure story. I already proved to myself that I am capable, and you are capable too.
