NaNoWriMo 2023 - Lessons Learned
Hello dear readers!
Today I want to talk about NaNoWriMo. I was SO pumped to do NaNoWriMo this year. I had a pretty solid outline on the novel I was starting, I had been thinking about my characters for a while, really trying to get to know them, I felt totally prepared.
And then life whacked me upside the head with a 2x4 that has a +1 ‘dose of reality’ enchantment on it.
Overtime at work. Events during the month of November. (I’m look at you Dragonsteel Con). Sick doggos that need to be taken to the vet. Sick myself that needed to be taken to the doctor. And so on.
I was SO absolutely pumped and I have done nothing but struggle to sit down and even type 150 words a day. Most days I have not been able to manage any. I
But Dustin, in all his Uncle Iroh-esque wisdom, oh-so-gently reminded me that it’s not always about hitting huge word counts and big goals. Sometimes its just about consistency. Doing a little thing every day. Accomplishing just a small amount, consistently, adds up over time. If you just do 1% every day, at the end of the year, you have 365%.
I think NaNoWriMo is much the same thing. It’s about setting aside the time every day and making the habit, it’s about building consistency in your writing routine. Or consistency in regards to whatever goal you are striving towards, maybe this is eating more vegetables, or going to the gym, or learning an instrument, or picking up a new sport. Whatever you are working towards, consistency trumps.
I’ve really fallen out of the habit of writing daily since wrapping up my last book and getting involved in all the publishing and trying to learn the marketing side of things. So if nothing else, NaNoWriMo has reminded me to take time every day to work on my next book. Even if I only write a sentence, it’s still forward progress. So while I probably won’t make my 50k word goal this year, some words are better than no words.
Till next time dear reader! Choose to be consistent and make time for the things that matter to you. <3 Tiff
