November is Upon Us
November has arrived, and with it comes great tidings of NaNoWriMo! Well, being a NaNo veteren myself, I would like to offer all of you a few pointers.
I bet you're pumped about all of the writing you're about to do--or have already done! Good, keep up that energy! But what if you aren't feeling that enthusastic vibe? Well... that's okay, too! Sometimes, it just takes a little extra steam to get your engine going. And sometimes you need to hop off this engine and get on a different one! If you're really not feeling it with this story, it's never too late to set it to the side and pick up a different one you're more confident about.
Congratulations on reaching your wordcount goals! Seeing that little brown bar hit--and even pass!--that line of best fit can be the best reward for your self-esteem at the end of the day. That being said, if you find you're having trouble even getting close to where your word count should be for the day, that's okay, too! This is a lesson I've had to learn the hard way. Yes, while NaNoWriMo is all about writing 50,000 words in one month, it is also about finishing what you start. You read that right, the most important part of NaNo--even more important than that word count!--is finishing getting that idea out onto paper or digital format. Get it out of your head. All of it. And if it comes out slowly like molasses and at the end of the month you only reach 15,000 words, that's alright. The important part is that you wrote and you got those ideas out of your head so you can look at them from a different angle!
Lastly, I have to say that while NaNoWriMo is very important, it is still even more important to spend time with those you love. Take Thanksgiving off if you need to, just spend time with your family. Don't forget that, while, yes, you are very important, your loved ones are important too. And please don't neglect your health for the sake of reaching word count. It's not worth it and you'll burn yourself out.
Have a happy and safe NaNo!
-E.M.
