~ By Melina Kantor
Dear Wrimos,
As promised last week, we’re back with more NaNoWriMo fun and inspiration.
First of all, welcome to Week 2. I hate to bring it up, but in case you haven’t heard, Week 2 is the most infamous time period of November. It is, for some reason, by far the hardest. But fear not. It gets easier! (By the way, if you haven’t already, check your NaNoMail for pep talks and read them! You’ll need them this week, trust me.)
Here are a few treats to get you through.
1. This Saturday, there’s a writing marathon. Join other Wrimos (it is a fact universally acknowledged that going through NaNo with company leads to more success) and get those words on the page. Learn more: http://nanowrimo.org/writing-marathon
2. Check out the daily NaNoToon. If nothing else, doing so will get you to your computer, and hopefully you’ll stay there long enough to write at least 1667 words.
3. If you’ve read the NaNoToon and still need some procrastination, you can watch The NaNoMusical:
4. I was at a write-in on Thursday night. at a coffee shop at, of all places, the central bus station in Jerusalem (yes, Jerusalem – it’s where I live and yes, NaNo happens here too). I asked the Wrimos I was sitting with if they had any advice I should share.
Their advice is pretty classic and you’ve most likely heard it before, which just goes to show how valid it is:
- Don’t be temped to edit. Just get the words on the page. If you have to, make notes for things you want to work on later.
- Even if there’s a day (or days) when you can’t reach the magic 1667 words, spend at least some time engaging with your novel every single day no matter what. Keep your head in your story.
- Politely ignore those who question the point of writing so many words in one month. We know that the point is to develop discipline, strengthen our writing muscles, and throw ourselves into the worlds of our stories. In the words of Nora Roberts, “You can’t edit a blank page.”
5. And finally, if you start to wonder why you even bother writing, think about these words of inspiration from chapter member Traci Andrighetti:
Let’s face it—the daily grind can be dull. What I like about contemporary romance is that it shows me how other smart, strong women are balancing the demands of love, family and career. Sometimes their stories move me, other times they make me laugh, and occasionally they inspire me to change my perspective or even my ways. It’s like therapy, only it costs a whole lot less and comes with really cool cover art.
As always, if you have any great NaNo tips or resources, please share in the comments!
Write on!
Melina