Counting Down

The countdown has begun! Are you ready for action? Ready to make a commitment to finally writing that novel of yours? Are you ready to accomplish your dreams? November kicks off National Novel Writing Month and it is the perfect opportunity for new and old writers alike to stop thinking about their novels and put their ideas on paper.

Some of you may be asking, “What is this NaNoWriMo?” Well, it is a crazy idea that turns your dreams into reality. I know it sounds to good to be true but it is true. NaNoWriMo is a mad dash, a sprint to finish your novel. You have thirty days to write as much of your novel as humanly possible. The goal is 50,000 words and… Waitwaitwait! Wait! That number might seem outrageous and impossible but it is not. Trust me. I’ve been in your shoes before.

So here is the deal, I was a young dreamer once. I thought to myself “Oh if only I had the time to write out my novel, but alas I am overwhelmed with life!” One of my friends told me of NaNoWriMo and I thought it was too crazy to be real. The longest thing I had written up to that point was only fifteen pages long and it seemed like it took an eternity (it was a final paper for school by the way, not a story or a novel of any sort). I believed that I could never write something as long as 50,000 words. Not with a busy life and a job. I did it anyways, heck it’s only a month. It’s free. It’s inspiring. Who knows maybe I would like it.

That first novel I wrote was not very good. But gosh darn it, I was so proud of it. I hit the 50,000 word count that year and later completed my manuscript some time around mid-December. I found that the key to success was consistency. Everyday I set aside one hour, a single TV show, to write my story. Some days I would blow right past the recommended word count (1,666 words per day.) Other days I hardly registered more than a few hundred words. I stuck to it though. Each day I would write for an hour (sometimes more) and dutifully log in my word count, a little bar would tell me how I was doing. I was very motivated by that little bar! Even if I didn’t hit my daily total, every little bit was progress. I inched my way forward, one day at a time. The closer that little bar got to the top, the more determined I became to see this thing through. I did it. I accomplished the impossible and you can too.

You don’t even have to do it alone. Last year I got involved with the local NaNoWriMo community. Online and in person it was great to see everyone cheering one another on. It was nice to know that I was surrounded by a community of other writers, new and old. All of us working on very different stories. All of us working towards the very same dream.

The thing I love most about NaNoWriMo is not the challenge (and it is a challenge). It’s the fact that we are all in this together. Regardless of if you are a new writer working on your very first novel or if you are an old hat at this, NaNoWriMo is the same for everyone. We all have the same goal. We all have the same constraints. We are all up against the same clock, and she doesn’t care if we write in ten minute sprints, or an unrestrained flood of thought. She doesn’t care if this is our first novel or our fifteenth. She doesn’t care if you can type 300 words a minute or 30. At the end of November all that matters is that you cross that finish line with 50,000 words in tow. You can do that! But first you need to give yourself the chance! Sign up today and clear out a portion of your calendar. Grab your snacks and your comfy writing slippers and get your fingers and thinking caps ready! It’s time to finally stop thinking about your book! It’s time to write!