 |  |
Why should you finish what you start?
I'll be perfectly frank. I have skated along, just doing what I needed to do to stay just above the daily goal line for #NaNoWriMo2019. Still, with the exception of Day #2, a planned non-writing day because of a classmate reunion, I have not missed a single day during this entire month. There were days I wrote 4,000 words. There were days I only wrote 400 words. The take away? Even though I haven't yet hit that magical 50K to "win" NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row, I will, MOST DEFINITELY, finish what I started.
I am currently sitting at about 45,000 words. 50K is doable, obviously. Not that far away, but it hasn't been easy. The process is exhausting, both mentally and physically.
If it's hard to find time in your day or you don't feel well or your car broke down or you're in the middle of a writer's block OR you're only a fraction done, it's still worth following through with #NaNoWriMo2019.
Here's why:
1. "Almost" is nice, too. I worked really hard to prep for this, and I've written consistently the entire month. To give up would feel like wimping out. It's worth trying, even if I don't make it. I have written more in three weeks than I usually write in three months. No matter the final word count, it's more than I had when I started. It's writing progress. That's a win, in my book.
2. Finishing feels like a serious victory. Last year, I actually burst into tears of joy when I glanced down at my word count and realized I had jumped right over that 50K mark without even noticing. Goals aren't always easy to meet, but getting there tastes so sweet. So, so, so sweet.
2. The story is worth the time. When I jumped right over 50K (without noticing), I was in the middle of a really tense ending scene. I was in the zone, baby. It was good stuff. It was a story that needed to be told, not just because I wanted to get to a certain word count, but because the story was solid and worth spending a month to tell. I went on to spend many, many more months editing and lengthening that story. It WAS worth the telling and is now in the final draft stage. My 2019 project, the sequel, is equally important to me. It's a story that needs told.
3. I said I would. Any goal, once it's out there, is a goal to be achieved or tossed away, like so many promises in the wind. I said I would finish. It took a lot of effort to get even close, so not seeing it through—not trying my best every single day left in the month—would feel like a goal lost for the wrong reasons.
4. I'm on a roll. I finished last year for the first time. I'll finish this year, because I want to prove 2018 wasn't a fluke. It wasn't. Trust me ... there's no going back now:)
Don't give up. Keep trying. Finish what you start. I'm rooting for you. You've got this.
Write on, my #NaNoWriMo friends. I'll meet you at the finish line!
#NaNoWinner2019 #WIP #SCBWI #writingtip #writers #winner #fiction #WritingCommunity #MondayMotivation
I'll be perfectly frank. I have skated along, just doing what I needed to do to stay just above the daily goal line for #NaNoWriMo2019. Still, with the exception of Day #2, a planned non-writing day because of a classmate reunion, I have not missed a single day during this entire month. There were days I wrote 4,000 words. There were days I only wrote 400 words. The take away? Even though I haven't yet hit that magical 50K to "win" NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row, I will, MOST DEFINITELY, finish what I started.
I am currently sitting at about 45,000 words. 50K is doable, obviously. Not that far away, but it hasn't been easy. The process is exhausting, both mentally and physically.
If it's hard to find time in your day or you don't feel well or your car broke down or you're in the middle of a writer's block OR you're only a fraction done, it's still worth following through with #NaNoWriMo2019.
Here's why:
1. "Almost" is nice, too. I worked really hard to prep for this, and I've written consistently the entire month. To give up would feel like wimping out. It's worth trying, even if I don't make it. I have written more in three weeks than I usually write in three months. No matter the final word count, it's more than I had when I started. It's writing progress. That's a win, in my book.
2. Finishing feels like a serious victory. Last year, I actually burst into tears of joy when I glanced down at my word count and realized I had jumped right over that 50K mark without even noticing. Goals aren't always easy to meet, but getting there tastes so sweet. So, so, so sweet.
2. The story is worth the time. When I jumped right over 50K (without noticing), I was in the middle of a really tense ending scene. I was in the zone, baby. It was good stuff. It was a story that needed to be told, not just because I wanted to get to a certain word count, but because the story was solid and worth spending a month to tell. I went on to spend many, many more months editing and lengthening that story. It WAS worth the telling and is now in the final draft stage. My 2019 project, the sequel, is equally important to me. It's a story that needs told.
3. I said I would. Any goal, once it's out there, is a goal to be achieved or tossed away, like so many promises in the wind. I said I would finish. It took a lot of effort to get even close, so not seeing it through—not trying my best every single day left in the month—would feel like a goal lost for the wrong reasons.
4. I'm on a roll. I finished last year for the first time. I'll finish this year, because I want to prove 2018 wasn't a fluke. It wasn't. Trust me ... there's no going back now:)
Don't give up. Keep trying. Finish what you start. I'm rooting for you. You've got this.
Write on, my #NaNoWriMo friends. I'll meet you at the finish line!
#NaNoWinner2019 #WIP #SCBWI #writingtip #writers #winner #fiction #WritingCommunity #MondayMotivation
RSS Feed
