For years I wanted to write a novel. I had several
stories in my head just begging to be written down, but I typically only wrote
when I really felt like it, and I almost always gave priority to other things. Because
of this, I often took long breaks from writing, and when I returned to a story,
I’d find it needed so much improvement that I’d spend my time editing or
rewriting what I already had, and I’d hardly make any forward progress at all.
Then came last November. I’d heard of NaNoWriMo and
thought it sounded like a fantastic idea. Knowing myself, I didn’t make any
grand pledges of finishing a novel in a month or even reaching a certain word
count each day, but I decided to use that month to make writing my priority. I
pushed aside all other hobbies and wrote as often as I could. I also forced
myself to break my cycle of editing and rewriting, and forged my way through
the story, finally getting beyond the opening chapters. Thanks to that, I developed
the habits and mindset necessary to finally finish a novel.
Here I am, one year later, on the cusp of releasing that
novel. I have a proof of the book on the way, and depending how many tweaks the
cover design needs, I’m hoping I can have it released by the end of this month
(or December at the latest, but I promise it won’t be long now!). Since I’m
still getting the final details taken care of, I won’t be participating in
NaNoWriMo this month, but I wanted to give a shout out to the writing project
that finally got me to accomplish my goal, and to encourage those who are
thinking of participating this year. It has been a great experience! If you’ve
always wanted to write a novel, consider this a fantastic time to start.
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