NaNoWriMo didn’t invite me to do a pep talk, so I”M DOING IT HERE!!!!!! Over the month of November, I will be releasing some pep talks on my website to encourage you along the way! Your story deserves to be told, so NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!!
You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. It’s NaNoWriMo. Your friends have been chatting about this for weeks, every author on YouTube has done vlogs one planning for this NaNoWriMo, and you’re just about ready to join the NaNoWriMo party! You get your comfy socks on, sink into your chair, and lift your hands, about to tickle the keyboards. And then you realize something.
That blank page. The blinking cursor. All taunting you. You’re just a beginner writer who has no idea exactly what they’re doing. What makes you think you can do it?
Well, let me tell you something. Every author started somewhere. Lots of you might write and hope to become bestsellers! But then you see the blank page, and a lot of you get discouraged. You think, This is hopeless. Why did I agree to this? I can’t write an amazing bestselling novel! I should just delete my NaNoWriMo account. And when you start thinking that, I want you to remember one thing.
You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Don’t you want to see your book, your story, all fleshed out and in a freshly printed paperback book and hold it into your hands? Don’t you want to see your books scattered all throughout bookstores in the world? Don’t you want to see your name on that bestseller list? Well, if you answered yes to all or almost all of these questions, then you HAVE TO START. It doesn’t matter how awful or cringy your first draft is. ALL first drafts are like that. I’m starting a brand new book for NaNoWriMo, and it is FAAR from the polished books you see. Your writing might not be great now, but if you ever want it to be, then you have to start. You can’t reach the end of the writing journey (amazing writing) unless you actually start.
So tell that chatter in your head shut up, put your fingers on the keyboard and tickle them. Tickle them until the whole page is filled. It doesn’t matter what it’s filled with. Whether it’s the workings of your story, junk, random words, or even just jumbled letters typed messily onto the screen, start writing. Don’t stop until you’ve got your perfect little baby in your hands. Don’t stop to edit, don’t fix mistakes. JUST WRITE. Lock yourself in a room in the middle of the wilderness with no wifi if you really need to focus! Change your font color to white to match the background so you can’t see what you’re doing! Just WRITE! Keep those hands on the keyboard, and never stop until you’ve reached the stars.
Because you will, dear writer. So many of us get discouraged and just give up. And those are the ones who will never make it to the bestseller list. But trust me. Don’t stop, not even with all the hassles and challenges life throws your way. Just keep writing. Pour your heart and soul into your amazing story! And remember: no one else can tell your story. There is absolutely NO ONE standing in your way. The sky’s not the limit. Because there is no limit.
So get writing, tickle those keyboards, and don’t let me see you stop until you’ve reached the finish line!
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