Ever wonder how that novel idea in your head will ever make it to those illustrious bookshelves of your bookworm heaven? B&N bookstores, Amazon bestseller list, the library bookshelves. Whatever your idea of where all the good books live, have you ever wondered how on Earth YOU are ever going to get YOUR book there?
Aspiring authors and published authors alike have, at least once at the beginning of their careers, have wondered, hoped, dreamed. I do it too. All day long sometimes. But dreaming and hoping and praying only gets you so far, no matter what it is that you wish to do.
Write a novel. Write a self-help book. Write a children's book series. Whatever your goal, it's not just to get the words on paper. It's to get them published and up onto that shelf of your dreams.
But the main ingredient that some writers forget that will make their dream come true is something that some writers don't have.
The guts to do it.
Fear. Doubt. Self condemnation. Call it what you will, but it holds us all back at one point or another. I see it all the time, in people who have high hopes but not a spine to do anything about it with.
"But this... But that..." So many excuses they could write a book on how to keep yourself locked in a perpetual state of motionlessness.
NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - starts November 1st. NEXT WEEK!!! It's a great time for all those held back by their fear to JUMP IN with both feet and give their guts a real work out. Forget the fear of failure. Forget the doubting monster keeping you locked up in your writing closet. All you have to do to participate is WRITE!
Just write.
No rules. No editing. No grammar gurus lurking in the shadows.
Just write.
NaNoWriMo is all about getting your words onto the page. Period. And the more the merrier. 50K words in a month is the ultimate goal BUT you don't have to hit the highest peak to summit your own fear of starting something great.
10K words in a month. Even 2k words. It'll be more than you have done now, no? Do you have a novel in you? Do you want to write it? Are your characters banging on the door of your imagination, begging to get out?
Then do it! Write till you heart's content. Everyday, make it a task on your To-Do List and do it.
Just write.
IMO - in my opinion - all you have to do is write and you'll make it. You'll start that writing project you've always dreamt about. And you know what? By writing EVERYDAY, even just 10 minutes a day, you'll find strength, confidence, determination.
And you'll create momentum.
By the end of November, you'll have written the beginning of your novel and you won't be able to stop. The story, the characters, they won't let you stop. And neither will your new self - your writer self - let you stop.
So write.
Just write.
And look me up at NaNoWriMo. If ever you need someone to get out and push because you hit a roadblock or your engine won't start that day, I'll push for you! I'll help you combat your writer demons! I've worked long and hard to keep mine locked up tight, so I know how to do it, IMO.
;)
