Happy NaNoWriMo!

Alright, authors - it’s that time. The coffee maker is rested and ready for (over)use. The pen is sitting next to the keyboard, and the words are just waiting to appear before your eyes.

It’s NaNoWriMo season!

What is NaNoWriMo? Basically, it’s a monthly writing challenge - standing for National Novel Writing Month - where writers (of all kinds!) are welcome to attempt to write 50,000 words. That’s around 1,667 words a day. (More information can be found on the NaNo site, https://nanowrimo.org/)

This will be my tenth year attempting! I have achieved the 50,000 word goal twice in that time, both stories stored on my computer never to see the light of day.

But that’s the point of NaNo. The point is to just write. 

So, how do you achieve the terrifying challenge? Do just that - write every single day. Something. Anything. The goal is to get the words on paper. It took me the ten years to realize exactly what that meant. 

All writers need the constant reminder that their first draft is supposed to be bad.

I often think of a quote from author Shannon Hale; “I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box, so that later, I can build castles.” As a matter of fact, I have this quote above my desk at home as an even further reminder.

So best of luck to every writer out there. Newbies and veterans alike. It’s a stressful challenge, but so damn worth it.