November 30th, you guys. It is officially the last day of National Novel Writing Month. I’m posting this through a grin because neither Jill, Steph or I won NaNo this year. We gave it our best effort and pulled up short.
I have things to say to those of you who hit 50k and to those who did not. So, please, stick with me.
First things first, because a celebration is most definitely in order.
To those who won
Congratulations! You accomplished an amazing feat. History indicates that of the over 400,000 writers who started NaNoWriMo, less than 20% will hit 50k words by midnight tonight. You are a part of that hard working minority, and I’m so very proud of you.
I won’t rehash Jill’s post from yesterday, but please, go read it. So much good stuff there. About what comes next and where to go from here. Suffice it to say, getting 50k words on the page is just the beginning, friends. It’s a fantastic beginning, but in the days and weeks and months to come, you have more work to do.
My hope is that the foundation you’ve provided yourself—the consistent approach to writing, the planning, the sprinting, the doing anything at all to get words on the page—will pay off in dividends. I hope it sets a flame burning in your chest that says “I slayed NaNoWriMo. I can slay any goal I set for myself.”
Because you can. You have the ability to control the dedication and the passion. There’s no magic here. There is just your imagination and the power of discipline to see your story through to completion. You’re going to need both as an author. And I’m glad NaNoWriMo provided you with a taste of writerly accomplishment. Savor it–accomplishment is a seed that can grow and spread if you’ll water it diligently.
To those who did not hit their goal
I count myself among you, so know that you’re in good company. In a month where I intended to get at least half of my work in progress on the page, my family dealt with sickness and hard news from cousins in the Midwest. On top of that, I had some hefty (but exciting) career options placed in front of me.
Whenever I climbed into my chair to write, I had trouble sitting still long enough to get anything on the page. That’s a struggle I’m going to have to overcome as we get through the holidays. Because the work isn’t going to go away and neither is the reality of being a wife and mother with many, many responsibilities. As creatives, we must learn to juggle.
That said, I don’t regret a single thing. Living the creative life means taking wild shots and being brave. Attempting NaNoWriMo is both and I’m grateful for the 20k words I added to my manuscript.
If you didn’t hit your goal this month, I want you to hear this: do not stop setting goals. Whether you added a couple hundred new words or 40k, I’m guessing it’s more words than you would have added had you not set the goal in the first place.
AND! Because of what you put on the page, you’ve given yourself options you didn’t have before. You can choose to edit those new words into relative perfection or you can cut them and start again. Decisions like this are only reserved for those who set goals and take steps to achieve them. So, truly, good job you.
I do want to acknowledge that sometimes we quit for reasons that have us feeling a bit embarrassed. I’m not going to ask you to share those reasons, but know that we understand. We’ve been there. And if you do want to be a person who doesn’t make quitting a habit, there are things you can do to change that.
Which brings me to my final point.
For everyone who set out to win NaNoWriMo
Whether you reach a goal or come up short, you should honor that moment with some kind of reflection.
I’m a big fan of looking back and taking stock. At this very moment, you may need to write another 2k words to hit 50k by midnight, you may have given up on your goal entirely, or maybe you’re just glad you survived the month and never want to write another word ever again. All very real.
But when you get some time, pull out a pen and paper and take yourself back through November. Jot down the high points and the low points. Things you learned and things that really hurt your storytelling.
And just like we did weekly, ask yourself some important questions:
What was hard this month? What was easy? What moments or choices set you back? And in what ways were you victorious?
If you’re prepared to answer those questions here and now, we’d love to give them a read and encourage you on. If you’re not quite ready, that’s okay too. Writing is a journey. Your road, your pace.
Either way, good job, friends. You were brave. You set a goal, and whether you reached it or not, we’re proud to know writers as courageous as you.
Relief! That’s what I feel this year that it’s over! I’m so glad to be done with that book and won’t look at if for months! I have lots of other writing projects to work on meanwhile. The hardest part this month was my mind being so tired. The story was easy to write because I knew it inside. And I had set time aside for it. The hard part was overcoming my mentality about how I just wanted to be done. And I think I did that . . . before I was done ;D
Good job,Keturah! So proud of you. That month does end up feeling neverending, doesn’t it?
What was hard this month: Just not having motivation throughout the month. There was nada.
What was easy this month: Focusing on promoting my Kickstarter campaign instead of writing. I had a plan that I didn’t have last time (this was a relaunch), and I’ve been able to have more natural promotional posts, which I’m hoping will carry over to actual published book marketing in the future.
What moments or choices set you back: The inability to get myself to sit down with the story and no distractions. 😛
In what ways were you victorious: I learned what makes a novel a poor choice for NaNo (last year I chalked it up to busyness), so now I can choose NaNo projects in the future that will be conducive to writing quickly.
My current word count is around 20k, and I’m mostly okay with that. I’m a little disappointed, but I learned from it, I still got things done in other areas of writing, and I did write a few chapters of my main project and meet intriguing side characters, so it wasn’t a total loss. 🙂
Good job, you! Sometimes things don’t go exactly as we hoped, but we learn. Proud of you for using the experience and learning from it. And 20k words is nothing to sneeze at!
What was hard this month: Perseverance. It was HARD this year. Usually I love whatever I’m writing so much that I’m motivated to work on it, even if I know it sucks and I’ll have to go back later and revise. But this month, that was harder.
What was easy: Surprisingly, I didn’t have all that much trouble balancing writing and school and social life, which has always been a problem for me in the past. I (mostly) got enough sleep, stayed (mostly) caught up on school, and actually spent time with my family!
What set me back: Planning. I’m not a planner, but I already had a very loose outline for this novel, so that didn’t exactly make it easier to improvise.
One victory: I actually won, after being way behind for most of the month!!!
Thanks for all these posts you’ve been doing! I really enjoy seeing how everyone else is doing, and I’ve gotten so much encouragement from it 😀
GOOD JOB, TALIA! I’m so glad you won. There are definitely ebbs and flows in this creative life and sometimes, for reasons we have trouble pinpointing, the process just FEELS different than it did last time. BUT YOU WON! I hope you celebrate, friend.
I’d like to thank the three of you for setting up such a helpful site for neophyte writers. I appreciate the work you’ve put into it and would be most interested to attend a writers conference where any of you speak, if you might post that to the website or drop me an email.
What was hard this month?
I had a lot of competing events that vied for my attention, like Thanksgiving for instance, which is several days to a week of preparation for a grandfather.
What was easy?
I was done with my first draft before nanowrimo, so it’s easy to have a complete book when you start like that. I spent the time editing and re-writing, which I found challenging.
What moments or choices set you back?
It’s been extremely difficult for me to know if I’ve made the right scene choices for my novel because it’s my first. I’ve been unable to find a writer’s group with experienced writers, so far that means I have no way to get criticism on my work, which I think is what I need most to make me better.
And in what ways were you victorious?
I did study structure somewhat before I wrote this book, but was unaware that a flashback near the beginning seems to be an unacceptable method. I re-wrote chapter two so that instead of a flashback, it’s a series of very short passages that I place before each chapter. The effect is much better than it was in story, so that was a big victory for me.
Thank you Mrs. Dittemore for your weekly posts this month, they’ve been most encouraging.
Hooray, Jack! What great work you’ve done this month. I’m so glad you used November to edit and refine. I’ve done that during NaNoWriMo as well. Have you considered looking for an online critique group? It can be hard to find local writers, but the internet does make the world a little smaller. If you’re writing for kids or teens, consider looking into whether or not your area has a local SCBWI chapter. Here’s a link to their website: https://www.scbwi.org/