Happy Writing! You Can Do it.

The magical month of October has come to a close, and NaNoWriMo 2015 is officially here. And so I wanted to tell you, blogger, writer, poet, story-teller...you can do it.

Remember, the magic doesn't lie in a month, in a deadline, or in a process. The magic lies in you. And whatever writing you are setting out to achieve, you have enough magic inside of you to reach that goal. Whether you do it in November or December or in one year or in three...you can do it. You will do it, so long as you just keep writing.

Whether you're setting out to write a novel or a song or a poem or a story, you've got this. Whether you're writing for the world to see or just for the pages between your journal, there's a reason you should write. 

So write. Keep writing. Write when the words are overflowing out of you and write when you have to pull them out of yourself. Write to understand things, to stay alive, to ask your questions. You are a writer. So write. 

Happy writing...Through November, through the holidays, through 2016, through always. You are a writer, and you can do it.

PS...if you haven't joined The Novel Blogger yet, do it! Sometimes seeing a bunch of other people strive for the same thing you're working towards can be just the encouragement you need. 

NaNoWriMo 2015...Are You In?

This is my yearly post in which I beg encourage everyone to please participate in NaNoWriMo. Don't let the numbers or the deadline scare you, just jump in and do it! 

If it seems like it's too much for you to even try, just tweak it for yourself and your schedule. I'm all about breaking the rules this year.  I started my NaNoWriMo 2015 on October 1st, and I now have a little over 10,000 words written. Is it as much as I wanted to have done? No. But is it 10,000 more words than I would have otherwise? Absolutely. Challenges like this one do exactly that: Challenge you. Which, in turn, usually ends up with you doing better than you would have done without it. 

If you're thinking about writing along (PLEASE DO) here are a few things to get you started: 

+Tips for a Successful NaNoWriMo. 

+A Checklist for Getting Ready for NaNoWriMo.

+How to Deal With the Inevitable NaNoWriMo Writer's Block.

If you're thinking about participating in NaNoWriMo, I want to encourage you to do it. If you're thinking about writing anything at all, I want to tell you that you can do it. If you're pondering chasing any type of dream whatsoever, and an opportunity or a step in the right direction comes along, I want to cheer for you: TAKE IT!

What do you have to lose by trying? You can do it, I promise. Just try. Hole yourself up in a coffee shop and let magic pour out onto your keyboard. Wake up a few minutes early and scribble some magic down in your journal. Stretch yourself. There is magic inside of you, and this could be exactly what you need to release it. So just jump in. 

Have you ever participate in NaNoWriMo before?

Why I'm Starting NaNoWriMo in October & I Think You Should, Too.

As if fall wasn't amazing enough, November brings the gift of NaNoWriMo. 

"National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel." 

-via nanowrimo.org

If you've never participated before, that paragraph alone should make you want to. 

Writing 50,000 words in 30 days is fun, exhausting, exhilarating, and totally possible. When aspiring writers all over the world are chasing the same goal you are for thirty days, it makes you feel like anything is possible. And anything is possible. 

I've done NaNoWriMo twice now, and I've loved it both times. It forces you to write, forces you to think quickly, and forces you to abandon the idea of editing until December. It's magical. It's also a month filled with lots of coffee, wine, late nights, and stress, as you can probably imagine. 

This year is a little bit different for me. November will bring me two months away from having a baby--not exactly conducive to staying up all night in an over-caffinated frenzy of writing.

While the obvious solution would be to sit this year out and try to jump back in next year, NaNoWriMo has brought me some of my very favorite ideas and words and stories. So I don't want to sit this one out.

So I'm starting NaNoWriMo in October. Here's why I think you should consider doing the same. 

To write 50,000 words in the month of November, you have to write roughly 1,667 words each day. Again, totally doable! But it is a lot. To write 50,000 words in the months of October and November, you have to write roughly 820 words each day. 

See where I'm going with this? 

My thinking is that 820 words a day for two months is going to be a lot easier for me to do in this season of life. And, when I reach the halfway point and start running out of steam, it'll be just in time for the inspiration of NaNoWriMo!

Of course, it won't technically be NaNoWriMo, because for that, you have to start November 1st with a word count of zero. But, it is a way to participate. Especially since I know that otherwise, it's just not going to happen this year. 

So I'm going to do it. In a few days, much like the past two Novembers, I'm going to curl up with a blank page and a cup of coffee and start to write my little heart out. 

You may not be in a similar situation to me, but if you've already decided your reasons for why you're not going to participate this year, why not jump in and get your feet wet in October?

Because you never know what type of magic might come from simply deciding to start. 

Are you planning on participating in NaNoWriMo this year?

Just Keep Writing: A Letter to NaNoWriMo Writers.

via

If you finished NaNoWriMo, congratulations, you are amazing. You wrote 50,000 words in 30 days, and that is an incredible accomplishment.

Now, you have to keep writing. The same hustle that made you write those 50,000 words is going to be needed to polish them, to change them, and to turn them into a book you're proud of. You can do it, because you now know that you can do anything you set out to do. So keep writing, you little writer, you.

If you almost finished NaNoWriMo, congratulations, you are amazing. I bet you wrote more words this month than any other month in your life, and that's fantastic. While you may have not reached your word count goal, you have the words and the stories and the ideas and the creativity.

So keep writing. Don't let all the stories you brainstormed during November stay locked in your head. Write them down.

If you barely started NaNoWriMo, congratulations, you are amazing. You wrote the first words of the first pages, and sometimes that is the hardest part. You're going to be tempted to wait until next November to really try to write a lot. Don't do that. You started something amazing, so keep it going. You lit a flame inside you...keep that burning.

Keep writing. A few words a day, a few pages a day, anything. Just keep writing.

And finally, if you thought about doing NaNoWriMo, but never got around to starting, congratulations, you are amazing. You've identified something you want to do--you want to write a book.

So start writing that book. Don't wait for November, don't wait for 2015, don't wait for tomorrow. Write the first words today.

If you finished NaNoWriMo, or if you almost finished NaNoWriMo, or if you barely started NaNoWriMo...

Good freaking job. 

Keep writing. Keep putting "write 1,667 words" on your to-do list. Keep scribbling away in your notebook, writing your ideas and dreams down. 

Because November is just a starting point. 

Congratulations, you are a writer. So keep writing. 

Did you participate in NaNoWriMo this year? How did it go for you?

NaNoWriMo Writer's Block.

via

Writer's block is inevitable no matter who you are. Whether you procrastinated too long on a term paper, or you're trying to come up with a blog post on a Monday, or you're trying to write a story and your normally creative brain suddenly becomes very boring, writer's block is something that just happens.

If you're doing NaNoWriMo right now, writer's block is definitely something that happens. You're almost halfway through, likely super behind on your word count, and probably having a lot of thoughts that start with, "next year. . ." 

I've read a lot of things about writer's block, and I've even talked talked about it on here--steps you can take, how to fight it, etc, etc, etc. 

But at the end of the day, the answer to overcoming writer's block is the simplest and the most cliche of them all. 

Just write anyway. 

Sometimes you write something, and it in that moment, it truly doesn't matter to you if anyone else will ever read those words. It doesn't matter if anyone else will ever like those words. All that matters is you wrote them and you like them, and they're yours. 

When moments like that happen, you are invincible. One novel? Psh. How about five? I could do this forever.

And it's for moments like that one that you have to keep writing. 

So keep writing. Write through the writer's block, write through the words that look weird to you, write through the sentences and paragraphs and pages and plots that you think you probably for sure hate. 

If you're behind on your word count, keep writing. If you're ahead of your word count, don't stop. 

Just keep writing. 

Because you are a writer, and you need to be writing. 

via

Linking up with Rachael & Juliette to talk about all things writer's block!

How do you deal with Writer's block?

NaNoWriMo Checklist: How to Get Ready to Write a Novel in a Month.

If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, click here.

If you're participating in NaNoWriMo, you've got 11 days and some odd hours before the madness begins. Until then, here are some things that will help you get ready to write your little heart out. 

Find a coffee or a tea that you like. Buy a lot of it.

Get a brand new notebook. Sometimes, writing on a blank page instead of staring at a computer screen is all it takes to get rid of writer's block. Plus, you want to have somewhere to jot all your ideas down when you're not actually sitting at your computer and writing.

Print out a calendar/to-do list. Write your word count goals on every day. This is terrifying, but do it anyway. Make Fridays your check-in day. That way you can up your word count over the weekend if you've fallen behind that week.

Look into what you want to write with. Do you like writing with a pen and notebook? Word? Ommwriter? Figure it out now so you don't waste your time testing out different programs.

Make sure you have a way to back up your work. Because you know what's not fun? Getting almost halfway to your goal and having your computer crash.

This can be as simple as emailing your work to yourself every few days--just make sure it exists somewhere other than on your desktop!

Establish a homebase. Yes, you will write snippets of your novel everywhere in November. Coffee shops, your couch, your desk at work, your bed, and random stoplights will all become a part of your book. But 50,000 words is a lot, and I'm guessing you'll be doing the majority of your writing where you live.

If you have a desk, awesome. Hang up your calendar and to-do list, get a pumpkin candle, and print out some writing quotes and tape them above your desk. If you don't have a desk, get a basket where you can keep your computer, your notebook, your calendar, and all other writing necessities together.

Make a writing playlist. If you're like me and can't write to songs (seriously, I just end up listening to the lyrics!), then make a writing playlist to inspire you before you write, or to inspire brainstorm sessions.

Get inspired! Thank you, pinterest. I have a writing inspiration board that I know will inspire me when I just need a little extra boost. What inspires you? Taking pictures? Painting? Running? Whatever it is, do it. It's time to get your creativity flowing!

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? What are you doing to get ready?

A Novel in a Month? Tips For a Successful NaNoWriMo.

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? 

"National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel." 

-via nanowrimo.org

Anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel. Does that sound like you? If so, November is the perfect month to get started!

NaNoWriMo is great because it gives you a set goal to complete in a set amount of time. It helps you avoid burnout because you have an exact deadline for when writing like a crazy person will end. It's incredibly challenging, inspiring, and overall an experience that every writer should have at least once.

If you're thinking about joining in this year, here are some tips that I've found to be helpful.

Just because the technical goal of NaNoWriMo is 50,000, that doesn't mean you have to either do all that or nothing at all.

The point is to make yourself write way more than you normally do, no matter what that looks like. You can only write 5,000 words and still have an extremely successful NaNoWriMo. You have no idea what good ideas may come out of those words!

Some people decide to write 50,000 words by the end of November and just go with it. That's fantastic, but if I did that, I would land on November 29th with 39,000 words to write.

Decide on a schedule based on your goal. Do you want to write for a set amount of time each day? Or do you want to write a certain amount of words per day?

My goal is the big 50,000 this year. That translates to roughly 1,666 words per day. However, I know that I probably won't be able to write on most Saturdays, and there are five of those in November. So that brings my goal up to 2,000 words a day.

Look at your lifestyle and schedule, and then make a writing schedule. Be realistic, but also push yourself. It will be incredibly hard, but that's part of the fun.

Do not try to hit all 1,666 (or less, or more) words all at once. Yes, there will be days when you can sit down and pound out far more than your goal, and those days are magical. But on the not-so-magical days, trying to hit your goal all at once will make you want to cry forever.

So break it up! Have two daily goals instead of one. If your goal is 1,000 words, then have two goals of 500 words. Taking a break in between finishing the first goal and starting the second will give you a chance to reboot your creativity. Plus, being able to cross one of those off when you're halfway there feels awesome.

It would be really freaking fantastic for everyone to have a writing partner that lives in the same town as them. Then you could spend days together in a coffee shop, writing the next great American novel and keeping each other from burning out. But this is real life, and that's not always an option.

Still, tell someone. Get an email partner. Blog about it. Just make sure someone other than you knows that you're being a psychotic person and trying to write a novel in 30 days. Sometimes all it takes to keep writing is knowing that someone is going to ask how your book is coming, and wanting to be able to be proud of your answer.

So, are you in?!

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo before? Are you planning on doing it this year?