NaNoWriMo2020 is almost over! For most, this means cheers of joy as they get down their last 57 words to hit that wily 50,000 mark. For others, comes the sorrow of realizing that they might not make it to the finish line this year. For those of us in the first group, I extend a hearty congratulations and woohoo! For those in the second group, I say this: make a new finish line. Whether you draw out the NaNo deadline another week to reach 50,000 words or switch the end goal to 30,000 words this year, make sure you reach a goal this year.

I think one of the biggest obstacles new NaNo's face is the fear of failure. What if I try this and I don't get to 50,000 words? I'll be a big failure and nothing good will have come from trying. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Do I think that you could've gotten to 50,000 words? Absolutely! Do I think that inside and outside forces conspire against you to make sure you don't get there? Absolutely! But NaNoWriMo should always be a positive experience. My first year, I finished on December 2nd. Did I feel bad about missing the deadline? Sure, but I felt awesome about reaching 50,000 words even if it was a few days late.

So what I'm trying to say is this. No matter what, find a way to make this year's NaNoWriMo a win. Even if you have to define that win differently than the win you had in mind at the beginning of the month. That way, when NaNo rolls around next year, you won't think, geez I totally blew it last year, do I even want to try this year? You'll say, hey I reached a goal last year, let's see if I can do even better this year. There are still 4 days left (counting today). Make the most of them!

Good luck!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

So, it's almost two weeks into NaNoWriMo2020 and I only have one word for you. Gravy. And no, it doesn't have anything to do with Thanksgiving, though now that I think about it, maybe it does. Anyway, if you were following my NaNo journey in past years, you will know that "gravy" is extra words above the mandatory daily word count. Now, I know, I know, most newbie NaNoWriMo's are just thrilled if they can get close to that 1667 at first, but I'm telling you, now is the time for gravy. Try as hard as you can to start off with a surplus of words because even if you're only doing socially distanced turkey, the later the month gets, the harder it will be to find the time to write. If you start with a healthy ladle of word gravy, then those later days when you just can't get in all the words will be much less stressful. I promise.

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

If there is any silver lining to the current situation, it may be getting our time back. No errands to run, no events to go to, and for some, not even their day job. Now you have what you always claim to have too little of to devote to writing, time. And what a writing prompt. Did any of us ever think we would live in times with "social distancing?" Maybe this is mother nature's way of telling the world to slow down, stop being busy, and remember what's important.

Need more inspiration?: nanowrimo.org/what-is-camp-nanowrimo

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

Another NaNo is under wraps, or at least for me it is. Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it this time and had pretty much given up on finishing this year because of some setbacks midway. But, that's the beauty of NaNo. It gives you a definite goal and helps you track your progress so well, that even after you fall behind, you can still clearly see the end point.

Again, I have to thank my friends and family for understanding my need to do this. I couldn't have done it without your support. Thanks again everyone for a great NaNo. See you next year!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

Well, I'm late with my post again. No surprise considering it's NaNoWriMo and all words should go to the NaNo word gods. The good news: I've now written for 22 days straight. The bad news: I'm a little more that 7,000 words less than I should be right now. This may be the first NaNo in over 5 years I don't finish.

If you're in the same boat, I'm here to tell you there's still time! Pull out all the stops this weekend and write like you've never written before! That's my plan. Quash that inner editor and just put words on the page! Editing is for December...or maybe January.

I'm going to try to make up time and words this weekend and see where I am come Monday. Thanksgiving is looming, but hey, write while everyone else is watching football. NaNo is also a great excuse to avoid helping clean up after Thanksgiving dinner. ;)

And don't forget the last virtual write-in on Wednesday, November 27th!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Don't Give Up!
Keep Calm and NaNo On!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

Today's the day! NaNoWriMo is here! If you don't know what that means, check out my previous blog post: NaNoWriMo is Here!!! If you do know what this means, then why are you procrastinating and reading this blog post instead of writing? ;)

Today's tip: Carve out your writing time.

Pick a specific time during the day that you'll most likely be able to be productive. Don't know how to accomplish this? Try watching this video on how to Find the Time to Write.

Good Luck!
Start Strong!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

Sorry for the hiatus. So much going on, and 2019 just seems to be slipping away. For everyone finding time a precious commodity in their lives, I will keep this post short and sweet.

Certainly as a NaNoWriMo advocate I'm a fan of big, fast accomplishments with lots of words. However, another good strategy for writing is just a little everyday. If you don't have a deadline staring you in the face and are finding it hard to get motivated, try writing a paragraph today instead of trying to write a whole chapter or a whole scene. Getting a few words on the page is better than being overwhelmed by the task and getting nothing down at all.

Cheers

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

SO, big news post NaNoWriMo is that the publication date for my three book deal may be moving up to spring 2019! This means that after the holiday craziness - still haven't put up our Christmas tree or finished Christmas cards or finished Christmas shopping - I get to finish fleshing out WHISPs II and get that off to the publisher by February 1st, then start on the first draft of book three. No rest for the weary, but deadlines can be great for productivity! May not get in a post on the 24th, so Happy Holidays! See you in 2019!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

One of the hardest things to do about this time during NaNoWriMo is to just keep going. Thanksgiving is fast approaching and whether you're ahead in your word count (gravy) or behind (ketchup), often the grueling pace is starting to wear and enthusiasm wane. Here are some tips to get you the writer past this "muddy middle."

1. Raise the stakes. If you're getting bored with your novel, readers might too.
2. Reward yourself. You might have a big carrot waiting for you at the end of the journey, but everyday you hit your word goal should have some small reward. Mine? Leftover Halloween candy.
3. Write the ending first. There is no law which states a novel has to be written in chronological order. If the middle is getting to be a slog, skip to the exciting conclusion then work your way back.
4. Get ahead so you can slack off. If at all a possibility, I've found that getting ahead so you can relax over the holiday makes Thanksgiving a much less stressful endeavor and provides a nice break from writing.
5. Try shorter writing sprints. I find that when I'm getting stuck it helps to try to just write at least 200 words at a time, then take a break. Roughly 8 of these sprints a day will fulfill your daily requirement. Maybe writing 1,667 words all at once isn't your style.
6. Take advantage of Write-Ins! Whether virtual or in-person, write-ins are a great motivator. Just to see and hear other writers clicking or scratching away builds a sense of community and camaraderie.

Happy Writing.
Let's all try for 50,000 words before November 30th (poutine)!
#NaNoWriMo2018

What is NaNoWriMo?

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

Okay, now that I've gotten your attention, why are you reading this and not writing!?

What is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month is a personal challenge to all potential novelists to write 50,000 words during the month of November, but it is so much more than that too. It is a chance to make your writing goals public, social, and most importantly fun!

NaNoWriMo hosts virtual write-ins on YouTube and also live writing events all over the world. Their website has forums to help you with character creation, world building, writer's block, and any other writing issues you might be having.

If you've ever dreamed of writing a novel, I feel NaNoWriMo is your best opportunity to give it a try. Even if you don't make the goal of 50,000 words, how ever many word you write will be more than you had before.

This year will be my seventh NaNoWriMo for a total of 3 published novels, one self-published novel, one unpublished novel, one mostly written novel, and a ton of novel research.

Even if you haven't started yet, you've only missed 1 day, so start NOW!

Happy writing!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer