This will be the final post before we hit November and NaNoWriMo begins anew. A calm before the storm. A deep meditative breath rolls through the WriMo community as we mentally prepare ourselves for the task at hand. Many of the friends I have been trying to encourage to participate seem to be on the fence this year, trying to decide if they should give it a go or not. My answer, regardless of skill level, writing interest, or story idea is a resounding yes. Stop dreaming and take action. Your story cannot be told without your hand.
Our stories are as endless as the skies, we just need to take that first step, we need to sit down and write.
I know many of you have doubts if you can do this. I did too when I first started and I had already written two of my books! The finish line seems so far away, it is a daunting task, the work seems impossibly hard, but if you take it one day at a time, one page at a time, one paragraph at a time, you can get there. Many have expressed their doubts telling me their stories just aren’t ready yet, that they don’t have a fictional story to tell, that they tried once and failed, that their book couldn’t be completed even if they tried, that they just don’t have the time. WriMo is not about completing a book, it’s not about writing fictional stories even. It’s about sitting down and proving to yourself that you can do this.
For the record this year will be my sixth official NaNoWriMo, I have completed the challenge four of those times. I have never once completed a full story for WriMo and two of my attempts failed spectacularly. Of the stories I have tried to write, one was a dystopian fantasy novel, one a steampunk book, one science fiction book, one a fantasy world, and an attempt to write my memoir both last year and this. My very first WriMo story was based off a sketch I had come up with the month prior with hardly any planning or idea where it was going. This year I have a structure and outline already in place. None of it matters.
During the month of November the focus is words on the page, nothing else. There is no set way to “do” NaNoWriMo, there is no secret to success outside of putting pen to paper. There are no rules, no set format, no specific genre, it’s just about writing your story! Every author, young and old, newbies and veterans, planners and pantsers, everyone can do this.
Maybe you’ve written several short stories but are worried that you can’t do a long one? Maybe you’ve got this really good idea for a queer romance ghost story but never had the time? Maybe you want to write science fiction/magical realism stories with giant fighting robots but aren’t sure of the plot? Maybe you’ve tried WriMo and failed? All of you, if you have the desire, can participate in NaNoWriMo. Our stories are as endless as the skies, we just need to take that first step, we need to sit down and write.