30 Days of Encouragement for NaNoWriMo (and other writers, too!)
I’m sure you’re tired. I’m sure you’ve had moments of wanting to delete, shred, burn the whole damn thing. Don’t. You are more than halfway through and you are doing it! Think about the amount you would typically write in a day three weeks ago. Think about how much you have done in only seventeen days. Did you think you’d get this far?
NaNoWriMo is more about overcoming personal blocks and perfectionism than it is about actually producing a publishable novel. This is at best a first draft. It doesn’t have to be – it shouldn’t be – perfect. If you can keep going, knowing that it won’t be perfect, you will have overcome a huge hurdle that most creative people face. With that in mind, remind yourself why you signed on for this crazy ride. You can do it, and you will be so proud of yourself on December 1st. I’m already proud of you!
Someone in the LitFic forum on the official site suggested a *really* good alternative to handle your inner thinking about the novel you write during NaNoWriMo: Think of it, not so much as a first draft, but as a very thorough, highly detailed plan or outline. Genius!
That’s a great way to think of it!