05 November 2010

NaNoWriMo Pep Talk #1: [insert clever, inspiring title here]

Congratulations! You've made it to the first weekend of NaNoWriMo! Woo hoo!

Each weekend in November presents you with the opportunity to catch up if you're behind--or get ahead before the week starts again--and this is your first chance.

Since this is the only first weekend of November, I urge you to not worry about your word count. Don't look at where you should be by the end of today or tomorrow or Sunday. Instead, look at where you are, and resolve to increase that number. That's it.

Yes, there are people doing NaNo who are far beyond the goal word count. Good for them. But there are also people who are behind. There are people who have not yet decided to participate. And that's okay, too.

What's important to remember is that NaNo is not a race or a competition that promises a prize to the longest or best or first-published novel afterward. It's simply a way to prove to yourself that you can, in fact, make time to write fiction every day.

Of course, your goal is to reach 50,000 words by the end of the month. That's my goal, too. But the bigger goal should be writing every day.

Besides, it's much to early in the month to be worrying about that big end-of-the-month word count. Instead, your first milestone word count should be 10,000 words. If you hit 10,000 some time this weekend, you'll be doing great! If not, that's okay. Keep writing, word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, until you get there.

Just write this weekend.

Good luck, and happy scribbling!


2 comments:

  1. Very positive outlook! My goal is to actually write on the weekend. I usually write faithfully during the week, but by the time the weekend comes along I crash and burn. I'm going to keep this in mind as I attempt to write this weekend.

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  2. That sounds like an excellent plan! Let us know how it goes!

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