NaNoWriMo: Pushing On ...

By the end of week three, the beginning of week four, we NaNoWriMo writers are starting to feel the pressure.

Says Brendan Sta, "I am thinking … I should pull my liver out so I can squeeze the coffee out and make room for a fresh assault on it with a new brew. 31K though so health not important, only numbers."

It might be a drastic concept, but when you are still below 40,000 with only eight days left it can be daunting and hard to convince yourself that, "Yes, I can do this."

Katrina Thiessen-Beasse is working hard to catch up. She got hit with an eight day bug that put her behind. Still, she’s determined. "I'm feeling fairly confident that I can do this."

The NaNoWriMo is no easy undertaking, for the first timer, or for the professional who just wants to try something new. For the man who has always wanted to write a book, this is his chance. The NaNo can take the "I'll write the book someday" and turn it into a nice and pretty computer file waiting for editing. It’s an accomplishment that you share with a select group of people. Supportive people ... it is hard to find a group so in helping one another. Whether it’s with word sprint on Facebook, help with a research question you might have, Twitter’s fun challenges or even just “Help, I think I am going under …” and the letters pour in. “You can do it. We have faith.”

You start off with Week One as strangers, all with the same goal, all going in different directions. As soon as Week Two hit the comradery comes with it and “GoGoGo’s” are coming at you. “I want to do a work sprint someone may say. “Who’s up with me?” and fourteen to twenty people are lining up for twenty minute sessions.Is there competition? Yes, some. You do like to see that you are typing a few more words, but it’s a friendly completion, no hard feelings and no one singing insults at you at the end of the day.

The NaNoWriMo excitement builds hope. To take that one thing you always hear people say, “Someday I’m going to write my novel,” and make the dream a reality.

We have left week three now, are halfway through week four. We are tired, maybe doubting ourselves, longing for the burst of energy on Thanksgiving Day where we will sneak away from the family long enough to get our daily goals in.

Or maybe not. Maybe we were one of the lucky ones like Melanie Rio. “I have surpassed the numerical finish line, but my story isn't anywhere near complete yet. I'm excited to keep writing, whether or not this novel ends in the month of November. It's been a great start, at the very least.”

More likely than not, though, we are a tad bit behind and holding cyber hands with Ceci Faurie, “I'm behind on my word count, but I believe in miracles. We can do this!”

And we can!