It’s November 1st. The days are getting shorter. The Halloween sugar crash is sapping our energy. The weather is getting colder. The stress of the holidays is imminent.
In short, it’s a stressful time of year.
But it is also the start of National Novel Writing Month. And I don’t know about you, but I could use a pep talk. So here is one, from me to you.
You can do this, but please remember that you don’t have to. I don’t mean to give you an out, or undermine your motivation. But I want you to always keep in mind that NaNo is a massive undertaking, and you will feel great for having completed it, but that isn’t worth your sleep, your health, or your sanity. If it feels too daunting, if it feels impossible, that’s ok. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, but it means you should have a little compassion for yourself. And I know that’s hard. We cut ourselves the least amount of slack. But I promise you deserve compassion, and you deserve to talk to yourself kindly and gently. It’s okay not to finish. It’s okay to adjust the goal to fit your ability. It’s okay to get stuck in the story. And it’s okay if you don’t write everyday. NaNo enticed you for a reason. Hold on to that reason, and do your best. But don’t worry about arbitrary number counts, or other people’s perceived success. Just do your best, and be gentle with yourself, and you will come out of November accomplished.
I hope this helps, even just a little bit. If you’d like to read some other pep talks, by authors such as Anne Lamott, NaNoWriMo’s website is full of them. You can find them here.
Good luck this month.
Ink Stains & Blank Pages 