NaNoWriMo Week 4 Pep Talk from ... Me!

Hello Worcester WriMos!

Take a deep breath.

We're almost there... two days left to be exact. We've been on this journey for what seems like a lifetime. I don't know about you all, but my carpal tunnel is kicking my booty. Or my wrists... Potentially both.

The truth is, that even if you're not at the 50k mark or even the 40k mark, you guys are amazing. Look back at what you've written so far. Even if you hate it, you've done it. I am in that spot as we speak. I hate the last 15k of my word count. I know that I'll go back and it won't be so bad, but my characters are riding on my last nerve.

The good news, if you're with me; is that December is literally less than a week away. You can put it down, take it out back and shoot it, or just forget about it on some dark corner of your hard drive for a while. If you're still enamored with your story and love where it's going... DON'T STOP! You are the few that I'm always shocked to hear about. I am quite honestly thrilled for you, because that's amazing.

Here's the thing about NaNo that I've found over the years... The biggest part is finishing. You may very well have a nicely organized pile of words, that ultimately may have nothing to do with the story you initially intended on writing. Look at them. Don't necessarily discard them just because they aren't what you're looking for. Take a step back, a deep breath, and get a cup of coffee. Do something to take your mind off of it for a moment. Then, go back. Sit down at your keyboard, notebook, typewriter, gadget to write with; and start up again. Maybe re-write a scene, but just leave it with a note to yourself, to replace it later. Don't delete. Re-Write. You can decide between the two later, and just keep on it.

I truly hope the end of November is treating you well and your novels still love you.

Love and Letters from your exhausted ML,
Jessi