As of today, Monday, October 29, it’s officially National Novel Writing Month week. Maybe not National Novel Writing Month day quite yet, but definitely National Novel Writing Month week.
As such, you should be in a pretty good place right now, with your daily or weekly writing plan properly mapped out, your protagonist’s name and personality nailed down, and your basic plot figured out.
In addition, you should be focused on the finish line some 30 days down the road.
But above and beyond all of that, there are two things you should really recognize without a shadow of a doubt…
1) Your ability to complete NaNoWriMo this year or last year or next year does not define who you are as a human being. For that matter, it doesn’t define who you are as a writer.
You can fail NaNoWriMo 2018 and go on to become an internationally known novelist. Or you can win this competition every single year for a decade and never publish a single one of those manuscripts.
So, in these last few days until the official National Novel Writing Month kickoff, work on your mindset. Accept reality and don’t let NaNoWriMo define you.
2) Here’s another piece of reality you need to accept. Now. Before November 1 comes around.
You are not going to get anything done if you go to your various NaNoWriMo meetings and chit-chat the designated hours away.
Sorry, but I’ve seen this happen too many times before: gatherings of NaNoWriMo participants where half the people seem much more into discussing their stories than writing their stories.
In which case, what’s the point?
Not to win, apparently. But maybe to distract other participants from winning?
If you’re going to do National Novel Writing Month, than do National Novel Writing Month. Put your fingers to the keys or pen to the paper… and write.
Write like you only have 30 days to transcribe 50,000 words from your head to your pages in order to win some stupid contest that doesn’t determine your worth.
That’s how I’m going to be operating in half a week.
If you too want a shot at the pathetically inadequate prize of bragging rights, then you should do the same.