[NaNoWriMo] [USA :: Michigan :: Elsewhere] Happy belated Halloween & message to the Michigan #NanoWriMo Participants

NaNoWriMo noreply@nanowrimo.org via amazonses.com	Wed, Oct 31, 10:01 AM (2 days ago)
to me

Happy NaNoWriMo Eve (or Halloween for those muggles among us),

Chanda (aka Amaseya) here. I don't know about you, but I feel like October just flew by, like literally. A couple of weeks ago, I sat down and thought, huh, I should probably work on my outline. Then I thought, eh, I have time. Two days ago, I realized I was out of time, panicked, and ate a pint of Ben and Jerry's (Chubby Hubby for the win).

Then I put the kids to bed, grabbed an extra cup of coffee, and  finished the rough outline for my NaNo project, Up On Old Boot Hill, book three in my cozy mystery series. Yeah, it's rough, but NaNo is a great time to experiment with wild, half-fledged ideas and new genres.

What are you writing about? Many authors use NaNo for new ideas, and those they just can't get out of their heads. Others use them to continue series, and still others use them to help get their first book, the one they've wanted to write for years, out. NaNo is great for all of that. 

There's a wonderful writer in my writers' group who was bemoaning the fact that she failed NaNo several times in the past, so she was just going to fail again. My advice to her, and to you all, is that you only fail if you don't try. Cheesy, right? Definitely, but it's still true. If you give up before you start, you'll never get your novel written. The fact of the matter is, even if you try, you might still fail, and that's okay, too. At least you have more down than you started the month yet. But you'll never know if you could have succeeded unless you give it your all. 

So my advice to all of you, seasoned wrimos and newbies alike, is go into this month with all of your heart, and nothing can stand in your way. You can write that novel you've always dreamed of, the one you've never finished, or the next book in your series, and walk away an winner, an exhausted winner, but a winner nonetheless. 

Don't forget to check out our regional calendar  and feel free to post or message me if you know of any events in your area and I'll post those, too. Here's to a great November, folks, don't forget to take care of yourself and keep writing!

-Chanda 

 

 

\