People, Start Your Engines!

 It's #NaNoWriMo time. 

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

For those of you who haven't heard about it- it's National Novel Writing Month. That means writers bust their butts to draft a novel of 50,000 words (1,677 words a day) in one month. It's hard. Not everyone succeeds. (Whoever chose November, instead of like January or March- WHAT were you thinking???) The point is to START. To get words down. To initiate a writing routine that becomes a lifestyle. It's hard work, it's sometimes frustrating. The finished product is usually crap- but it's a START. Better to have something than just an intention.

From newbies hoping to write that first novel to seasoned writers, this yearly challenge is an obstacle course: juggling family, work, holiday schedules, keeping faith with ourselves, and staying motivated through all the demands on our time, emotions, and even health. 

So to everyone taking up the challenge, good luck! Here are five rules (suggestions?) to keep in mind:

1. You missed a day. Or two. Don't fret and don't give up. You have time to catch up.

2. You won't make the deadline - November 30th. There are no NaNo police coming to give you a ticket for failure to comply. Take a few days in December and finish. No judgement here.

3. If you get stuck, go to https://nanowrimo.org/ and sign up (which you should have done already, but it's never to late) and get some inspiration from other writers, from chatting with others in the same situation, to ways to break through the block.

4. Don't be afraid to walk away- at least for a little while to gather your thoughts. Talk a walk. Read a book that inspires what you're trying to write. Look at pictures. When the idea comes to you (and it will) you'll write with renewed vigor.

5. The only reason to go back to the beginning of your story is to read to pick up the thread if you feel lost. DO NOT go back and make edits; make notes. Don't waste precious time polishing the beginning because you might very well toss that beginning when you do NaNoRevMo (National Novel Revising Month) or whenever you decide to revise it. Read only to get back in the mood of your novel to push you forward. 

May the words be with you! 

Char